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Failure to Franchise: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Trev & Chris
A bi-weekly podcast devoted to infamous examples of failed film-franchise starters. In a Hollywood landscape dominated by giant tentpole movies, not all attempted franchises can succeed. Many intended first entries of a series fail to generate the planned sequels due to low box office, poor judgement, or, simply put... utter incompetence. This show is a celebration of (or perhaps a memorial for) those failures, as hosts Trev and Chris dissect what went wrong with these cinematic misfires.@F2Fpod on all the socials!Like us there, Like us everywhere!
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- 1 weeks ago1h 24m
Episode 154 - Fallen (2016)
As exciting as the start of a new theme month usually is here at F2F, this time it comes with a little bit of foreboding, as well. That's because we're kicking off September's "FALLure to Franchise" with a return to one of our most dreaded genres...the YA Lit Adaptation! This time, we're looking at 2016's Fallen, which poses the compelling(?) question...what if Twilight, but with angels? Also based on a popular series of books, and with a clear "it's worked before" template to follow, Fallen seemed to have an easy enough path to follow to at least somewhat replicate the Twilight success, but ultimately the movie was barely released and was barely seen or defended by even the books' most passionate fans. So what went wrong? We're here to investigate...and possibly even reconsider how much credit we give the Twilight series in retrospect. Our Twitter Our Facebook Our Instagram Our YouTube Trev's Letterboxd Chris' Letterboxd
- 3 weeks ago1h 44m
Episode 153 - World War Z (2013)
"Summer Surprise" comes to a close, perhaps appropriately, in the form of a shambling, rotting corpse...or, in this case, thousands of them, spilling over each other as they scale a giant wall. That's right, we're looking at 2013's World War Z, the big budget adaptation of author Max Brooks' bestselling "Oral History of the Zombie War." The film overcame skepticism from book fans wary of its massive changes from the source material, and months of well-reported behind-the-scenes chaos - including an entirely scrapped, rethought, and re-shot third act - to still go on to become one of star Brad Pitt's biggest financial hits. But does the film hold up today? Is it a worthy addition to the zombie genre, or a too-bloated, CGI-filled example of Hollywood excess? And if it was such a success, why did we never get that sequel? Join us as we try to avoid getting bit and tackle all these questions, and more! Our Twitter Our Facebook Our Instagram Our YouTube Trev's Letterboxd Chris' Letterboxd
- Aug 11, 20261h 19m
Episode 152 - The Green Hornet (2011)
By 2011, the classic pulp character The Green Hornet had already been featured on the radio (where he was first born), movie screens (in a couple serials from the '40s), TV screens (in the 1966 series co-starring Bruce Lee), and the pages of comic books. As varied as these different versions were, they all played the character and his world fairly straight. Which arguably made the decision to turn the 2011 big-screen adaptation of the character into more of a buddy-comedy movie a unique, bold choice. But does that mean it was a "good" or "effective" choice? "Summer Surprise" continues as we take a look at another film with a long development history; one that faced the dual challenge of trying to turn Seth Rogen into a superhero and introduce Green Hornet and his sidekick Kato to a new, young audience more enamored with the heroes of DC and Marvel. Our Twitter Our Facebook Our Instagram Our YouTube Trev's Letterboxd Chris' Letterboxd
- Jul 28, 20261h 38m
Episode 151 - Car 54, Where Are You? (1994) w/ Special Guest: Bede Jermyn
A successful music video director and the filmmaker behind a recently well-received cult hit is hired to helm the cinematic adaptation of a beloved '60s sitcom. Clearly aiming for something more hip and edgy than the original show, he largely eschews the tone of the source material, instead populating his film with esoteric cult celebs and performers, upping the raunch factor, and filming it as a musical. And then...nothing. The movie sits on the shelf for almost four years. Until - unbeknownst to the director himself - it is finally quietly released, in a drastically altered studio cut. Yes, the little-remembered Car 54, Where Are You? is truly one of strangest movies (and stories behind the movie) that we have done yet. So strange, we couldn't tackle it alone! And so, joining us for this New York movie edition of "Summer Surprise" is Trev's co-host from Bede & Trev vs The Big Apple, Bede Jermyn, aka "The Terrible Aussie." Our Twitter Our Facebook Our Instagram Our YouTube Trev's Letterboxd Chris' Letterboxd Bede's Letterboxd Bede's Linktree Bede & Trev Vs. The Big Apple
- Jul 14, 20261h 27m
Episode 150 - Action Jackson (1988)
A mega-successful Hollywood producer. A popular star ready for his first big lead role. A respected actor one year away from an iconic sitcom role. A singer turned actor enjoying the height of her sex symbol status. Another actress just a few years away from becoming one of the industry's all-time biggest sex symbols. And explosions. Lots and lots of explosions. Put them all together, and you got a stew going, baby! This year's "Summer Surprise," in which we let an online randomizer pick our movies for us, kicks off with Action Jackson, an 80s blaxploitation riff from mega action producer Joel Silver, and starring the late, great Carl Weathers. The film was meant to finally catapult Weathers into the same above-the-title megastar status as his famed co-stars Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Silver brought along a bunch of cast and crew from his other recent efforts to help make it happen. So, what happened? Why are there multiple Lethal Weapon's, Die Hard's, and Predator's, but only one Action Jackson? We try to figure it out, while jumping out of the way of the sports car barreling down our hallway. Our Twitter Our Facebook Our Instagram Our YouTube Trev's Letterboxd Chris' Letterboxd
- Jun 30, 20261h 42m
Episode 149 - Dolittle (2020)
Your iconic turn as a superhero made you one of Hollywood's most beloved (and well paid) stars, jump-started a genre's total dominance of the cinematic landscape, and gave you a decade-plus of mega-successful sequels and spin-offs. But that gig has finally ended. What do you do? Well, if you're Robert Downey Jr., and you've recently wrapped your long tenure as Tony Stark/Iron Man with Avengers: Endgame, you quickly find another franchise to jump into. Unfortunately for RDJ, his choice - a new spin on Dr. Dolittle, the classic kids book character who can talk to animals - wasn't as successful as his MCU days. But is the movie really the disaster many (including RDJ himself, after the fact) made it out to be? We're scrubbing up and getting ready to examine, as "June Is What the Doctor Ordered" comes to a close. Plus, after the Dolittle discussion, we allow an online randomizer to choose our next four featured movies for the upcoming "Summer Surprise" series! Our Twitter Our Facebook Our Instagram Our YouTube Trev's Letterboxd Chris' Letterboxd
- Jun 16, 20261h 19m
Episode 148 - Dr. Giggles (1992)
By the early '90s, the slasher subgenre that had dominated horror in the '80s was already seen as on life support. But that didn't stop an upstart comic book company, formed in 1986 and already quite successful in the publishing world, from seeing the genre as potentially their ticket to join the movie big leagues. And so, four years before Scream would re-invent and re-popularize the slasher, Dark Horse Comics first tried to revive the genre with a more "traditional," if somewhat dark-comedy skewed, entry. And let's face it, who better to "revive" and "resuscitate" a genre than a doctor? Though, it's safe bet the maniacal doctor played by Larry Drake in this film is not one you'd want making a house call. "June is What the Doctor Ordered" continues, as we take a look at 1992's Doctor Giggles, the film that dares to ask, "just how many medical puns can you fit into one movie??" Our Twitter Our Facebook Our Instagram Our YouTube Trev's Letterboxd Chris' Letterboxd
- Jun 2, 20261h 27m
Episode 147 - Doctor Detroit (1983)
They say there ain't no cure for the summertime blues, but we here at F2F disagree. So allow Trev & Chris to make a house-call, as we ring in a brand new series - "JUNE is What the Doctor Ordered," taking a look at three doctor-themed (sorta) movies. First up, the 1983 oddity Doctor Detroit, perhaps most remembered as SNL legend Dan Aykroyd's first (and last?) solo starring role in a movie. Aykroyd plays a nebbish college professor forced to pose as a tough-talking pimp in order to protect four beautiful sex workers from the wrath of an evil crime boss named "Mom." And if that premise already sounds pretty out-there to you, well, we haven't even said anything about the costuming, voice, and mannerism choices Aykroyd makes in regards to his "Doctor Detroit" persona. Why exactly did a movie starring a beloved comic icon, released so close to hits like Trading Places and Ghostbusters, not connect with audiences? We're here to diagnose what might have gone wrong. Our Twitter Our Facebook Our Instagram Our YouTube Trev's Letterboxd Chris' Letterboxd
About Failure to Franchise
A bi-weekly podcast devoted to infamous examples of failed film-franchise starters. In a Hollywood landscape dominated by giant tentpole movies, not all attempted franchises can succeed. Many intended first entries of a series fail to generate the planned sequels due to low box office, poor judgement, or, simply put... utter incompetence. This show is a celebration of (or perhaps a memorial for) those failures, as hosts Trev and Chris dissect what went wrong with these cinematic misfires.@F2Fpod on all the socials!Like us there, Like us everywhere!
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