The Rocketeer flew into theaters everywhere in 1991, but audiences did not go along for the ride and critics quickly moved on. Today we're taking a second look to uncover everything this movie did well! With a stacked cast featuring the likes of Alan Arkin, Jennifer Connelly, and Timothy Dalton, there is surely some performances worth praising. At the very least, can we all agree the helmet looks rad? On the back half of the episode we discuss the finer points of legacy sequels. Join the Best of...
Feb 15, 2022•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 43
This week we are joined by the wonderful Bob Buel of 99 Questions to discuss everything Watchmen does well! When the movie released in 2009, critics and audiences alike were split on just what to make of this epic comic book adaptation. Was it too different than the book? Too similar? Should it even have been adapted at all? We're putting these questions aside today and simply celebrating what we like about the film! Who gave the best performance? How great is the action? And what does the amoun...
Feb 08, 2022•2 hr 34 min•Ep. 42
We return to the X-Men universe one last time to take a second look at The New Mutants. Due to the the Disney acquisition of 20th Century Fox, this was the final movie of the franchise, but that didn't convince many people to see it. Released during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the movie didn't seem too have much confidence from its new parent company. But today we're looking for the positives, and asking question like what genuinely works? How cool are these powers? Where could the seri...
Feb 01, 2022•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 41
We're celebrating our 40th episode with the movie many have called the worst comic book adaptation ever made: CATWOMAN! Hot off her Academy Award win, Halle Berry stepped into the iconic role to face off against Sharon Stone. Everything was looking great on paper, but audiences failed to show up and critics were puzzled by the end result. And now we're taking a second look at this litter box looking for buried gold! What are the best parts of the movie? What works? Who gives the best performance...
Jan 25, 2022•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 40
Eternals made history for the MCU when it became the first film in the franchise not to be certified "Fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes. Most articles and internet discussion on the film have been focused on just how close to the bottom of the list of Marvel movies it belongs. But not here! Instead we are choosing to focus only on what we love about the movie! Who gives the best performance in this enormous ensemble cast? Which are the best action scenes? And what does this movie mean for the future of ...
Jan 18, 2022•1 hr 51 min•Ep. 39
Despite bringing numerous legends of literature together on screen for the first time, the ultimate legacy of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen seems to be that it's the movie that made Sean Connery retire from acting. Surely there has to be more to say about this movie though, right? Of course! And we are diving into everything this movie does well. Which special effects have stood the test of time? How cool is it to see these characters interact with one another? Is Captain Nemo's ship the...
Jan 11, 2022•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 38
Tank Girl tells the age old tale of a rebel that seeks to topple an evil empire in the apocalyptic future with the assistance of her mutant kangaroo boyfriend. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the movie wasn't a critical darling when it released in 1995 and certainly wasn't a hit with movie goers either, as it struggled to recoup just a fraction of its production budget. But was this negative reception warranted? Is there any saving grace to this Hollywood adaption of a beloved indie comic? We certainly ...
Jan 04, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 37
Much like the titular league of heroes, a group of writers and directors joined forces to create this film. Well they didn't so much "join forces" as "work on the movie without communicating with one another." The end result was a film that critics didn't love and audiences soon forgot. But now we're taking a look back at Justice League (Theatrical, a Zack Snyder Film*) and discussing everything that managed to actually work in this movie! The cast is great, the team dynamics are fun, and Steppe...
Dec 28, 2021•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 36
This week we are joined by television writer, voice actor, and host of Batman The Animated Podcast: Justin Michael! To celebrate the holiday season, we are going back once more to the Batman franchise of our youth with everyone's favorite Christmas superhero flick: Batman Returns! It may not have been as poorly received upon release as our usual rewatches, but boy is it a weird one! Michael Keaton dons the cape and cowl for the second time, Danny DeVito plays the lumpy villain known as Penguin, ...
Dec 21, 2021•1 hr 46 min•Ep. 35
In this bonus episode we are breaking down everything we loved about Spider-Man: No Way Home. Favorite scenes, best performances, and biggest surprises. This is a SPOILER FILLED episode, do not listen until you have seen the movie! Join the Best of the Rest discord: https://discord.gg/86P7jJXNPb Email: bestoftherestpod@gmail.com Social Media @BotRCast on Twitter , Instagram , Facebook Bonus content: Youtube Theme song (vocals) by Mark Benavides: Instagram Music by Mitch (Depressed to Impress): Y...
Dec 19, 2021•1 hr 23 min
Mystery Men was a movie ahead of its time; parodying superhero blockbusters before they took over cinemas in the 2000s, and teaming up superheroes before there was a cinematic shared universe of comic book characters. Unfortunately audiences were not ready, resulting in one of the biggest box office bombs of 1999. But this week we are taking a second look to try and find what movie goers missed over two decades ago! How does the script handle introducing so many new characters? Was Ben Stiller s...
Dec 14, 2021•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 34
The Punisher was given the reboot treatment in 2008 when Ray Stevenson stepped into the role of Frank Castle, but audiences and critics alike were quick to forget it ever existed. So this week we take a second look at this over the top violent affair, and dig into everything it does well! Viewers will likely be surprised by the colorful set design, comedic dialogue, and that one guy that explodes mid-air. Ray Stevenson may not be everyone's favorite live action Frank, but there's no denying he l...
Dec 07, 2021•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 33
This week we are joined by Preston Willke, co-host of the wonderful Level Zero Podcast! Movies based on Marvel characters dominate today's box office. This week we take a second look at the very FIRST Marvel adaptation: Howard The Duck! This movie may not have lit up the box office back in 1986, and it was certainly torn apart by critics, but it is technically a movie and that's good enough for us! We dig through the big hair, frightening animatronics, and primitive visual effects to find everyt...
Nov 30, 2021•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 32
Guillermo del Toro and Ron Perlman teamed up to give audiences two beloved Hellboy adaptations. After the release of Hellboy II in 2008, fans eagerly awaited a third entry in the franchise, but a new Hellboy movie wouldn't hit theaters until over a decade later, and it wasn't a sequel. Instead, it was a R rated reboot of the franchise with David Harbour taking over the stone handed leading role. Many fans remained cautiously optimistic of the movie's potential, but the critical reception and box...
Nov 23, 2021•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 31
Mere months after the release of Batman v Superman, the DCEU gave us Suicide Squad, an ensemble movie with an all star cast. Unfortunately the star power was not enough to impress critics or general audiences. With the series being all but rebooted in its sequel, it seems Warner Bros wants us to forget this movie ever happened. So let's talk about it! Specifically, everything the movie got right. The internet may have hated the Joker's tattoos, but was it a good performance? Is Margot Robbie res...
Nov 16, 2021•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 30
When Fox decided to reboot the Fantastic Four franchise in 2015, they took the characters in a whole new direction. Instead of a bright, light-hearted superhero adventure, director Josh Trank looked to the body horror movies of David Cronenberg for inspiration. The studio panicked in the 11th hour and rewrote the last act of the movie, and the finished product is just as weird as you would expect based on these creative decisions. With just a 9% on Rotten Tomatoes, this is the worst reviewed mov...
Nov 09, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 29
It didn't take long for the comic book movie boom of the early 2000's to produce an R rated adaptation, and in 2004 The Punisher was released in theaters. Unfortunately, audiences did not flock to this movie like they had for Spider-Man, X-Men, or even Daredevil, and critics were not any kinder. Despite its less than stellar performance at the box office, most people can probably recall a scene or two. Remember the popsicle scene? How about the face piercings scene? Or when Frank Castle fought a...
Nov 02, 2021•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 28
Not only is Nicolas Cage back, but he's the only one who returns for the sequel, and this time he is truly uncaged. Critics were not fond of the even more absurd and over the top tone for the franchise, and audiences were not much kinder. But this week, we're bringing you everything the movie does well! The Rider has a new all black look, and Johnny Blaze traded in the jelly beans for bullets. We've got burning construction equipment, flamethrower urinating, a tattooed Christopher Lambert, and a...
Oct 26, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 27
This week we are joined by special guest Thompson Conradi, a VFX artist who has worked on several superhero films including, you guessed it, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice! This highly anticipated follow up featured the first live action pairing of The Caped Crusader and The Man of Steel. Expectations were high, but critic scores fell short and audiences were split. But today we only focus on the positives! Is the warehouse fight the best Batman action scene of all time? Is Jeremy Irons the ...
Oct 19, 2021•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 26
As the FOX-Men franchise was winding down, the team assembled for one last adventure. Unfortunately, it received the lowest critical reviews the X-Men moves had ever seen. Audiences and casual movie goers didn't seem too hot on it either, and the movie seemed destined to fade into obscurity along with 20th Century Fox itself. But today, like the titular Phoenix, the movie lives again in our conversation all about what it does well! Most of the cast returns from previous entries, including the Qu...
Oct 12, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 25
Long before he played the funny executive on a TV show and voiced an animated baby in a business suit, Alec Baldwin was a supernatural pulp hero known as The Shadow. Much like the bad guys unfortunate enough to cross paths with this hero, audiences seem to have forgotten The Shadow even exists. Until today! Critics in 1994 were not fond of this adaptation and few flocked to the box office, but surely there is something worth praising in the film right? Maybe the ground breaking special effects (...
Oct 05, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 24
While Spider-Man was busy swinging into the MCU, Sony wanted to have their cake and bite the head off too, and produced a movie starring Venom in a universe without his superhero rival. The reception was as split as Eddie Brock's personality, with high marks from audiences but abysmal critical reviews. But today we just focus on the positives: What's working in this movie? How are the action scenes? Does Venom look naked without his trademark white spider? Which Tom Hardy performance is better; ...
Sep 28, 2021•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 23
Join the Best of the Rest discord: https://discord.gg/86P7jJXNPb Men In Black was one of the biggest sci-fi action movies of the 90s, and a touchstone of pop culture. A sequel seemed inevitable, but the wait was a little longer than expected. And when MIIB did arrive, its impact was only a fraction of its predecessor, and the legacy of the film seemed destined to be 'it's not as good as the first one.' Until today! When removed from the shadow of the original, what genuinely works in this mostly...
Sep 21, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 22
The DCEU has had its fair share of ups and downs over the past decade, and it all began with the divisive Man of Steel. While some felt that this portrayal of Superman was refreshing, others said it didn't feel like Superman at all. The only question we are answering today is: What did the movie get right? Packed with an all star cast and and stuffed with action scenes, there is a lot to dive into this week. Does any of the cast live up to (or surpass) the legacy set by previous performances? Ar...
Sep 14, 2021•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 21
Hey dude, this is no movie! BotR is celebrating 20 episodes with everyone's least favorite Ninja Turtles movie. Is there really anything positive to talk about here? Of course! ...Maybe. Well we at least try. We're also talking all things TMNT, including the first two live action films, and celebrating this shell of a milestone with a few surprises along the way! The pizza's fresh, the turtles are back in time, and we are really testing the premise of our show.... Join the Discord: https://disco...
Sep 07, 2021•1 hr 59 min•Ep. 20
Before he was Bruce Wayne, Ben Affleck was Matt Murdock in the 2003 film Daredevil. Released shortly after the success of Spider-Man, audiences were not as enthusiastic about this red suited hero. But today we ask, should they have been? While most have written it off as a less than stellar byproduct of the early 00's superhero boom, this week we are only talking about what this movie got right! Was Ben Affleck's performance as bad as the internet would have you believe, or were we all just sick...
Aug 31, 2021•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 19
Despite receiving largely negative reviews, Fox decided to make a sequel to their action movie about a team of super powered people. A tale as old as time. The sophomore effort in the Fantastic Four franchise did not fare much better with the critics, but today we ask the question: What did the movie do well? And we ask a few other questions like why does The Thing look so off-putting with hair? And how do those rings on Saturn work? At least everyone can agree that the Silver Surfer looks Radd!...
Aug 24, 2021•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 18
Merely 5 years after the first issue was published, Spawn was adapted into a major motion picture. And how did mainstream audiences greet the indie comic book star? With a mild box office and scathing reviews. But this week we take a second look at this hellish comic book adaptation and ask: What did the movie do well? Do the nearly 25 year old special effects hold up today? Is John Leguizamo really underneath all that makeup? And just how long is this damn cape? Email: bestoftherestpod@gmail.co...
Aug 17, 2021•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 17
Christopher Reeve returned to his most iconic role one last time, and most people agreed it was one (or two) too many. With a shoe string budget and a cutting room floor full of key scenes, can there really be anything in this movie worth praising? Of course! The movie may not be the high point of the series for special effects, but the all star cast ensures that we still get some great moments. Lex Luthor gets help from his goofy nephew, and Clark Kent rekindles a romance with Lois Lane. Perry ...
Aug 10, 2021•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 16
After the wildly popular Days of Future Past, Fox decided to take the X-Men into the 80's. Movie goers and critics alike were much less enthusiastic about this entry. But today we ask, what did the movie do well? X-Men Apocalypse answers a lot of questions about the characters we've come to know and love, mostly involving how they got their hairstyle. Why so many of them are blue however remains a mystery... Email: bestoftherestpod@gmail.com Twitter/Instagram/Facebook @BotRcast https://twitter.c...
Aug 03, 2021•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 15
