Hops and Box Office Flops

Part One of the Epic Science Fiction/Fantasy Film March Madness Showdown

Every March, there is a basketball tournament that I never watch. To celebrate said tournament, I—the Thunderous Wizard (@WriterTLK)—and a special guest co-host filled out i09's Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy film of the last decade bracket. Going matchup by matchup, we broke down who we chose and why, eventually crowning an overall winner per region.
In this episode—the first of two—we discussed the left side of the bracket (the number one seeds were Mad Max: Fury Road and Edge of Tomorrow). 
Upsets—dark horses emerging from nowhere—were abound and no seed—high or not—was truly safe. We encourage you to fill out a bracket of your own to see how your selections compare to ours. And, as always, hit us up on Twitter (@HopsandBOFlops) to tell us why you agreed/disagreed with our choices or to even just continue the debate!
This special, and impromptu, two-parter was one wild ride!
Listen to Part Two

Last Action Hero – The "Big Ticket" That Somehow Sold No Tickets in '93

It’s #ArnoldActionMonth and were starting things off with a bang by bringing out the “big gun”—Last Action Hero!
With the combined talents of John McTiernan (the director of Die Hard and Predator), Arnold Schwarzenegger (perhaps the biggest star on the planet after Terminator 2), and Shane Black (the writer of classics like Lethal Weapon and The Monster Squad), what could possibly go wrong? Turns out, for Last Action Hero, quite a bit.
A movie born from two writers geeky admiration for the action classics of the 80s and 90s,Last Action Hero devolved into a tragic Hollywood tale of push and pull. Writers were hired and unceremoniously fired. The script bounced between script doctors to the point of the director’s delirium, and the shooting schedule left no room for error.
As insane as this film’s journey was, I’d argue little of that stress and indecision is reflected on screen. It’s an entertaining action thrill ride—equal parts humor, satire, and machismo—that despite all its hurdles, knows exactly what it wants to be.
But that, after all, is just one man’s opinion; and in 1993, Last Action Hero was a movie tarnished before it ever opened to the public. Saddled with horrifically bad word of mouth, a ballooning—and often mind boggling—advertising budget, and the looming figure of a release date no one thought they could meet, it was gone before most had even known it had arrived, falling prey to the money gobbling jowls of Jurassic Park’s infamous t-rex.
It can’t be argued that it was a bomb, but did it truly deserve to be? Well, there’s only one way to find out, so sit back, grab a beer, and enjoy as I, the Thunderous Wizard (@WriterTLK) and the Irate Lover explore the meta-movie within a movie, featuring a plot ripped from the stargazing ramblings of my fourth grade journal.
As always be sure to check our Twitter (@HopsandBOFlops) for notes from the show—trailers, factoids, and other fun links. 
You can find this week’s episode of Hops and Box Office Flops, as always, on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and now Spotify!

The Perfect Weapon – This Pod is Gettin' Kinda Hectic

The 1980s and 90s were littered with action vehicles. Each was meant to serve as a springboard for a multitude of stars that never were. Jeff Speakman is the embodiment of that era. Thought to be a budding movie star in the making, the plans for his career quickly derailed; not before he graced us, though, with this classic of all things Kenpo Karate — The Perfect Weapon.
Akin to most of the action films of this era, it’s more brawn and less brains. As a viewer, that’s great; we’re in it for Speakman laying fools out while clad in obscenely tight jeans. The plot, try as it may, is window dressing. We want slam bang fisticuffs and cheesy, but catchy, one-liners. The former is delivered in heaps. The latter—which may have been a bad sign for his staying power—is severely lacking.
So sit back, grab a beer, and enjoy as I, the Thunderous Wizard (@WriterTLK) and the returning Irate Lover take you for a stroll down 90s nostalgia memory lane. And be sure to check our Twitter (@HopsandBOFlops) for notes from the show—trailers, factoids, and other fun links.

It's Podcastin' Time: An Investigation of the Fantastic Four Movie That Never Was

The tragic tale behind the making of Roger Corman’s The Fantastic Four is one that truly must be seen and heard to be believed. A finished product—fully shot, edited, and cut—abandoned to the scrap heap. But why? Well, a few reasons actually. For starters, the film itself was just a bargaining chip—a way for a production house to extend its creative license on what could potentially be a lucrative property. It was also seen by some as a probable franchise killer—a film whose suspect quality alone could tarnish whatever else would come.
The latter may sound like a bit of an overreaction, but it’s important to remember that in 1994, the cinematic landscape for superhero and comic book films was vastly different. Point of fact, it was barren. Sure, we had Batman in 89, its sequel, and then some groan-inducing follow ups (themselves temporary franchise assassins); Superman had convinced the world a man could fly in the late 70s, but he’d petered out; his demise was so profound that it buried the character deeper than Nuclear Man had on the Moon. Other non-starters included The Shadow with Alec Baldwin and The Phantom with a preposterously purple-clad Billy Zane.
It was a vastly different time. Marvel—outside of a couple of halfhearted, and ultimately failed ventures—had, for the most part, remained on the sidelines. This film—at least in the minds of the cast and crew—would be their big coming out party. Alas, it was not meant to be. Corman’s Fantastic Four would disappear into the pop culture Phantom Zone, lingering in an infamous anonymity before resurfacing to the jeers and mockery of the public.
Yet that is what makes it so fascinating. In every sense of the term, it’s a noble failure. The director, cast, and crew dedicated themselves wholly to its promise and did so under the constrictions of the most modest of budgets. 
So sit back, grab a beer, and enjoy as I, the Thunderous Wizard (@WriterTLK and @HopsandBOFlops), and my special guest co-host Captain Cash (@CaptCash) take you through the wild journey of the first-ever Fantastic Four movie (as well as its accompanying documentary Doomed). Oddly—despite all its obvious shortcomings—it’s the most faithful to the property that inspired it.

Ready to Rumble – This Pod Will Rule You!

In our second episode, my co-host and I grapple with the much-maligned big time wrasslin’ extravaganza Ready to Rumble, starring David Arquette, Scott Caan, and a host of late 90s wrestling superstars. If you’ve ever wondered why WCW went belly up, look no further. This movie is illustrative of WCW's fading star. From its tone-deaf humor to its utter disdain for sports entertainment and its fans, there are reasons abound demonstrating why this was a bomb and failed to again ingratiate the company to its lost fandom.
And we go deep — covering everything from David Arquette’s recent death match stabbing to Slamboree 2000, the actual WCW PPV that featured the three-tiered cage from the climax of the film!

The Altogether Strange Journey through the Making of the Island of Dr. Moreau

What exactly went wrong with this film? In short: everything. Yet that succinct explanation is not enough. There are too many stories behind the miserable experience of shooting this movie. So not only do I cover the film itself, but also the documentary about this monumental failure — Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau.
So sit back and grab a beer! The truth of all the on-set drama is indeed stranger than the fiction.