Optimism Vaccine

THIS WEEK: Enthiran (2010) and 2.0 (2018)

Why settle for Hollywood when Kollywood exists? Join us this week as we're dazzled by Rajinikanth and baffled by 5G conspiracies.

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THIS WEEK: XX: Beautiful Weapon (1993), XX: Beautiful Target (1995) and XX: Beautiful Beast (1995)

Like the rest of the internet, we just couldn't get enough Japanese perversion. So this week we've opted to crack open the fridge and dish up a second helping of the V-Cinema franchise XX.

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THIS WEEK: XX: Beautiful Hunter (1994), XX: Beautiful Prey (1996), and XX: Beautiful Killing Machine (1996)

Having already covered the adventures of Xander Cage and Ti West's misguided stab at franchise horror, it was inevitable that a sage Patron would point us toward the Japanese film series XX. It promises to be a beautiful time.

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THIS WEEK: Jingle All the Way 2 (2014), Kindergarten Cop 2 (2016), and Eraser: Reborn (2022)

It was suggested that this episode was below even us, but once an idiotic idea has been introduced, you can trust that Optimism Vaccine will follow through. So here we are, discussing films had the audacity to attempt the impossible: Replacing Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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THIS WEEK: Tales from the Crypt (1972), Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight (1995), Bordello of Blood (1996) and Ritual (2002)

We decided that Jack needed more Dennis Miller in his life, which naturally led us to the cinematic world of EC Comics.

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THIS WEEK: The Net (1995) and The Net 2.0 (2006)

Lord knows why, but we've decided to discuss the very relevant tech anti-thriller, The Net. And its pitiful DTV sequel.

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THIS WEEK: Flexing With Monty: A Domestic Symphonie (2010) and The Evil Within AKA The Storyteller (2017)

A generous Patron asked us to look at John Albo's perpetually-in-production feature debut Flexing With Monty. Which we took as a good excuse to check out a meth-addled oil heir's posthumously released horror opus.

Apologies for Jack's occasionally choppy audio. Hey, why not request your own episode, and help us buy him a new microphone?

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THIS WEEK: Day For Night (1973) and Hulk Blood Tapes (2015)

It has recently come to our attention that X's foremost Oscar-knower Matt Neglia starred in a found footage horror film. Of course we're honor-bound to discuss it.

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THIS WEEK: Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) and Rust (2024)

Well, it finally happened. Rust was unceremoniously dumped onto streaming, so we're obliged to fulfill a long-standing Patron request to look at the film. And we've decided to pair it with Twilight Zone: The Movie for... no reason. Nothing morbid happening here. Move along.

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THIS WEEK: Blues Brothers 2000 (1998), Basic Instinct 2 (2006) and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)

We wrap up our tangled series of series-es with a trio of films that really left us questioning the artistic merits of the decades late, creatively bankrupt sequel.

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THIS WEEK: Offspring (2009), The Woman (2011) and Darlin' (2019)

We're wrapping up our aughts horror binge by barely discussing Lucky McKee, whose indie horror hit The Woman was inexplicably the middle film in a trilogy of cannibal flicks. It won't make any more sense when you've watched the films.

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THIS WEEK: Dracula 2000 (2000), Dracula II: Ascension (2003) and Dracula III: Legacy (2005)

Our run of episodes on the stunted hopes of aughts horror gradually morphs into a look at secret franchises as we look at the undisputed king of the 3D horror revival, Patrick Lussier. Before there was Drive Angry, there was Dracula 2000. And two DTV sequels that apparently exist.

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THIS WEEK: X (2022), Pearl (2022) and MaXXXine (2024)

No one typifies our mini-exploration into the horror aught-eurs that weren't more than Ti West. Annointed king of independent horror disappears for a decade, only to suddenly re-emerge to reign over a new, worse brand of independent horror. It's a story as old as time.

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THIS WEEK: The Reckoning (2020), The Lair (2022) and Duchess (2024)

Have you ever found yourself rolling credits on aughts horror classic The Descent and wondering, "Whatever happened to that guy?" Would it surprise you to hear that he married a young model and spent the next five years of his career endeavoring to make her a streaming superstar? That's right. Neil Marshall is a wife guy.

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THIS WEEK: Wendigo (2001), Depraved (2019), and Blackout (2023)

Too hip for the horror hounds and too committed to making monster movies for the arthouse crowd. Larry Fessenden's career is defined by moments of brilliance from a one-of-a-kind filmmaker hamstrung by budget constraints and setbacks that kept him from becoming a household name. He's also the perfect example of someone willing to do what it takes to make art that he loves without compromising his vision. And damn, did you know he had a Killers of the Flower Moon cameo?

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THIS WEEK: Wolfen (1981), Wolf (1994) and Wolf Man (2025)

Ah, the werewolf. Perhaps the perfect vehicle for exploring the duality of man. Or in the case of this week's slate of films: urbanization, the publishing industry, and ALS.

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THIS WEEK: Searching (2018) and Missing (2023)

Steve is back in the hosting chair, and the format has immediately turned to dust. It's a Pod Casty For Me crossover, as Jake and Ian join us to discuss screens, uncles, and I, Frankenstein. All very relevant in our quest to crack the found footage code.

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THIS WEEK: Lucy's Law (2011), The President Goes to Heaven (2011), Song of the Blind Girl (2011) and Who Killed Aliyah? (2012)

Steve and Miros were left to their own devices this week. The result? A far too comprehensive look at the sublimely toxic films of direct-to-toilet auteur Tom Charley AKA ctom.

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THIS WEEK: Cherry (2021), The Gray Man (2022) and The Electric State (2025)

Our attempt to discuss the post-Marvel output of cinema's most profitable siblings quickly devolved into a series of shrieks and grunts, perfectly mirroring the trajectory of the modern blockbuster.

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THIS WEEK: The Protector (1985), Shakedown (1988) and McBain (1991)

Optimism Vaccine has a well documented love of New York sleaze, so it was only a matter of time before we discussed James Glickenhaus, and what may well be the most overlooked action film of the 1980s.

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THIS WEEK: Miami Blues (1990), Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) and The Big Bounce (2004)

We try our best to avoid discussing the inexplicable 2004 disaster that ended George Armitage's lengthy Hollywood tenure, The Big Bounce. Fortunately we had two far better films to distract us.

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THIS WEEK: In the Shadows (2010) and Scorched Earth (2024)

There's a common misconception that we only do this podcast to subject ourselves to the dumbest bullshit imaginable. Not true! Every once in a while we stumble upon greatness. Do you like Michael Mann? How about Robert Bresson? Maybe a little Jean-Pierre Melville? Fantastic. It's time you join the 4 or 5 other folks who have watched the Thomas Arslan's crime dramas. Thank us later.

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THIS WEEK: The Borderlands AKA Final Prayer (2013)

What was Cate Blanchett thinking signing on to this turkey? Will we ever see the Roth cut? Did I watch the wrong movie again? Esteemed critic Esther Rosenfield joins us to discuss a true undiscovered gem, swept away in the ebb of the found footage wave.

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THIS WEEK: Accident (2009), Limbo (2021), and Mad Fate (2023)

This time around, Jack let us watch the GOOD Soi Cheang movies. We're looking at a trio of films made with legendary cinematographer Siu-Keung Cheng under Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai's Wilkway Image production company. Has Soi Cheang grown into one of the most essential filmmakers in modern Hong Kong? Yes. But don't watch his movies on Tubi. Turns out they're still fucking up HK distribution in 2025.

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THIS WEEK: Basic Instinct (1992), Sliver (1993), and Jade (1995)

Forget the Whitman's. This year we got you an Eszterhas sampler for Valentine's Day. It isn't particularly sweet, but there's a lot of cream involved.

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THIS WEEK: The Visit (2015)

Motion Sickness welcomes back old friends as Aaron Casias of Hit Factory joins us to discuss the perpetually fascinating career of M. Night Shyamalan. I bet you all forgot that he made a Found Footage film, didn't you? We didn't forget. We never forget.

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THIS WEEK: Home Sweet Home (2005), Dog Bite Dog (2006), and Motorway (2012)

A generous patron's request brings us back to Hong Kong to look at a more contemporary side of the HK action-industrial complex via the films of Soi Cheung. Unfortunately, Jack has returned from his sabbatical, and decided he'd rather spend the week mired in the soapy melodrama of Cheung's early career. We vow to rectify this injustice very soon.

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THIS WEEK: Cloverfield (2008), Apollo 18 (2011) and The Devil Inside (2012)

Life has once again wrought havoc with our schedule, so before we debut the regular format of Motion Sickness, we're bringing you one more genre retrospective. It's a slate featuring some of the least essential films to emerge during the latter days of the format's theatrical viability! And also Cloverfield! What do these things have in common? Their marketing achieved far more notoriety than the films themselves. That's right, we're talking ad campaigns. Strap in.

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THIS WEEK: Local 58, Gemini Home Entertainment, The Mandela Catalogue and The Oldest View

We're leaving the dusty theater behind, as Motion Sickness looks at what the children and their dang internet have done to the found footage genre. Liminal spaces, analogue oddities, and alternate personages abound in the ever-evolving world of web horror.

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THIS WEEK: Cannibal Holocaust (1980), Guinea Pig: Devil's Experiment (1985), The McPherson Tape (1989), Ghostwatch (1992), The Blair Witch Project (1999) and Paranormal Activity (2007)

We're kicking off our new series Motion Sickness by looking at the history of the found footage format in horror, from Ruggero Deodato murdering tortoises in the Amazon, to the micro-budget film that launched Blumhouse.

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THIS WEEK: Unknown Visitor (2019), Host (2020), Dashcam (2021), and Frogman (2023)

What do you do when one of your co-hosts requires emergency surgery on Christmas Day? You pivot. And prepare to pivot again. So while Jack recovers from his "back problems", the rest of us are hard at work on our long-gestating exploration of found footage horror: Motion Sickness.

Is this that? Not exactly. Consider it a prologue, in which Steve and Miros look at some of the more intriguing recent stabs at the format.

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THIS WEEK: A Magic Christmas (2014), A Christmas Eve Miracle (2015) and A Husband for Christmas (2016)

Somewhere along the line, noted shirtless hunk afficionado David DeCoteau was co-opted into the bland holiday film industry. This merits our attention. Steven Paul doesn't merit anyone's attention, but we're still talking about him.

The stars are all here: Vivica A. Fox! Eric Roberts! Burt Reynolds! Jon Voight! And half of them are voicing vestigial dog narrators!

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THIS WEEK: The Grey (2011), Cold Pursuit (2019) and The Ice Road (2021)

This December, we've decided to trudge through the snow with Liam Neeson, charting his curious journey from celebrated thespian to Charles Bronson in a parka along the way.

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THIS WEEK: Blink Twice (2024), Smile 2 (2024) and The Substance (2024)

We've nearly survived 2024, but subtlety didn't make it out alive. It's cinema via blunt force trauma as we examine an eclectic slate of the year's most interesting horror films.

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THIS WEEK: See No Evil (2006) and See No Evil 2 (2014)

It doesn't get much worse than this, folks. We're exploring the origins of WWE Films via the limp, senseless misadventures of Jacob Goodnight. Will Vince McMahon's callous attempt to christen Glenn Jacobs the new face of fear succeed? Find out next Sunday at Survivor Series.

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THIS WEEK: Dee Snider's Strangeland (1998), Feardotcom (2002) and Cry_Wolf (2005)

We’ve traveled down Route 66 and across the Australian outback but one road remains: THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY. Join us as explore the dangers of chat rooms, cyber bullying, and haunted Flash websites.

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THIS WEEK: The Cars That Ate Paris (1974), Road Games (1981) and Fair Game (1986)

Roadvember heads Down Under, where four wheels and thin sheet metal are all that stand between you and imminent, excruciating death.

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THIS WEEK: Duel (1971), Freeway (1996) and Freeway 2: Confessions of a Trickbaby (1999)

It didn't take long for us to foul up our road-centric theme, as the deceptively titled Freeway series sends us hurtling down a winding road toward... Danny Elfman?

And we also watched Duel. For some reason.

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THIS WEEK: The Hitcher (1986), The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting (2003) and The Hitcher (2007)

No, we haven't immediately abandoned our proposed annual foray into artful smut... it's just rather overwhelming to curate. So outside circumstances have dictated a temporary pivot to a different sort of pistoning action. And let's face it, Rutger Hauer is steamier than any vintage pornography we were going to dredge up anyhow.

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THIS WEEK: Onibaba (1964) and Kuroneko (1968)

For the final episode of Shawntober 2024, we expose Mr. Glinis to the gorgeous Japanese folk horror of Kaneto Shindo.

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