Over/Under Movies Episode 40: The Most Overrated Films of 2015

We have very exciting news for Over/Under Movies fans: We're now officially part of Indiewire's The Playlist (www.theplaylist.net)! From now on, episodes will be first uploaded on The Playlist's podcast feed, and will be available here a couple of days later. Eventually, we're going to move over to The Playlist as their exclusive podcast, so please make sure to subscribe to The Playlist's iTunes feed during this transitional period: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-playlist-podcast/id715084602 We're very happy and excited to take our podcast to the next step! Without further ado: Hi everyone, here's a new episode of Over/Under Movies, where three Pacific Northwest-based film critics talk about one overrated and one underrated film within the same genre, style, or tone. If you enjoy our show, please write us a review on iTunes (You can find us if you search for Over/Under Movies). We're on Twitter @overundermovies. You can also like our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/overundermovies so you can be kept up to date on new episodes. If you enjoy our podcast, or find things that we can improve, or even have your own suggestions for overrated or underrated films, please comment so we can make the show better. The hosts of Over/Under Movies waste no time kicking off a drug-and-drink-fueled road trip through bat country onto Vegas and then circling back several times to The Yabba. Host Ryan Oliver made the picks this time, and as usual he’s joined by Oktay Ege Kozak and Erik McClanahan. Ryan’s overrated selection is none other than Terry Gilliam‘s “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” an adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson‘s seminal and celebrated gonzo novel. And completing the substance abuse marathon, he naturally chose “Wake In Fright,” the 1971 mix of Ozploitation and Australian New Wave restored and brought back for distribution by Drafthouse Films a few years ago. Both films feature superhuman levels of drug consumption, but all the hosts agree that ‘Fright’ is a far better, and sadly lesser-seen/known film. Listen to find out why. Erik McClanahan is the lead film critic at Oregon Arts Watch, co-host of the Adjust Your Tracking podcast (Also available on iTunes), and a contributor at The Playlist. Ryan Oliver is the co-host of the Unspooled Reel podcast and the author of the blog Wellness in 24 Frames. Oktay Ege Kozak is a film critic for The Playlist, DVD Talk, The Oregon Herald, and Beyazperde. Special thanks to Ryan for editing this episode, as well as writing and performing our new theme music!

We have very exciting news for Over/Under Movies fans: We're now officially part of Indiewire's The Playlist! From now on, episodes will be first uploaded on The Playlist's podcast feed, and will be available here a couple of days later. Eventually, we're going to move over to The Playlist as their exclusive podcast, so please make sure to subscribe to The Playlist's iTunes feed during this transitional period: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-playlist-podcast/id715084602 We're very happy and excited to take our podcast to the next step! Without further ado: Hi everyone, here's a new episode of Over/Under Movies, where three Pacific Northwest-based film critics talk about one overrated and one underrated film within the same genre, style, or tone. If you enjoy our show, please write us a review on iTunes (You can find us if you search for Over/Under Movies). We're on Twitter @overundermovies. You can also like our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/overundermovies so you can be kept up to date on new episodes. If you enjoy our podcast, or find things that we can improve, or even have your own suggestions for overrated or underrated films, please comment so we can make the show better. We have a gruesome and heated Evil Dead showdown. Co-host Erik McClanahan thinks the Evil Dead remake is better than Sam Raimi's original. Will he survive the night despite other hosts Ryan Oliver and Oktay Ege Kozak's love for the "The" Evil Dead? Erik McClanahan is the lead film critic at Oregon Arts Watch, co-host of the Adjust Your Tracking podcast (Also available on iTunes), and a contributor at The Playlist. Ryan Oliver is the co-host of the Unspooled Reel podcast and the author of the blog Wellness in 24 Frames. Oktay Ege Kozak is a film critic for The Playlist, DVD Talk, The Oregon Herald, and Beyazperde. Special thanks to Ryan for editing this episode.

We have very exciting news for Over/Under Movies fans: We're now officially part of Indiewire's The Playlist! From now on, episodes will be first uploaded on The Playlist's podcast feed, and will be available here a couple of days later. Eventually, we're going to move over to The Playlist as their exclusive podcast, so please make sure to subscribe to The Playlist's iTunes feed during this transitional period: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-playlist-podcast/id715084602 We're very happy and excited to take our podcast to the next step! Without further ado: Hi everyone, here's a new episode of Over/Under Movies, where three Pacific Northwest-based film critics talk about one overrated and one underrated film within the same genre, style, or tone. If you enjoy our show, please write us a review on iTunes (You can find us if you search for Over/Under Movies). We're on Twitter @overundermovies. You can also like our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/overundermovies so you can be kept up to date on new episodes. If you enjoy our podcast, or find things that we can improve, or even have your own suggestions for overrated or underrated films, please comment so we can make the show better. On this 45th episode of the podcast, show host Oktay Ege Kozak finds common ground in two films that could be included in a double feature called "The Kid Dies In The Picture and The Parents Lose Their Minds." It's Lars von Trier's infamous "Antichrist" as the overrated against Nicolas Roeg's classic "Don't Look Now" as the under. Co-hosts Ryan Oliver and Erik McClanahan join in as usual for a lively chat, but don't expect them to agree. Erik McClanahan is the lead film critic at Oregon Arts Watch, co-host of the Adjust Your Tracking podcast (Also available on iTunes), and a contributor at The Playlist. Ryan Oliver is the co-host of the Unspooled Reel podcast and the author of the blog Wellness in 24 Frames. Oktay Ege Kozak is a film critic for The Playlist, DVD Talk, The Oregon Herald, and Beyazperde. Special thanks to Ryan for editing this episode.

We have very exciting news for Over/Under Movies fans: We're now officially part of Indiewire's The Playlist! From now on, episodes will be first uploaded on The Playlist's podcast feed, and will be available here a couple of days later. Eventually, we're going to move over to The Playlist as their exclusive podcast, so please make sure to subscribe to The Playlist's iTunes feed during this transitional period: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-playlist-podcast/id715084602 We're very happy and excited to take our podcast to the next step! Without further ado: Hi everyone, here's a new episode of Over/Under Movies, where three Pacific Northwest-based film critics talk about one overrated and one underrated film within the same genre, style, or tone. If you enjoy our show, please write us a review on iTunes (You can find us if you search for Over/Under Movies). We're on Twitter @overundermovies. You can also like our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/overundermovies so you can be kept up to date on new episodes. If you enjoy our podcast, or find things that we can improve, or even have your own suggestions for overrated or underrated films, please comment so we can make the show better. This episode focuses on Ryan's picks, as the critics dive into two R-rated comic book adaptations in "Watchmen" and "Dredd." With Zack Snyder's latest, "Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice," set to demolish theaters next week, and the recent massive box office success of the gleefully violent "Deadpool," plus Netflix's second season of "Daredevil" opening this weekend, it seemed like a good time to revisit those films. Erik McClanahan is the lead film critic at Oregon Arts Watch, co-host of the Adjust Your Tracking podcast (Also available on iTunes), and a contributor at The Playlist. Ryan Oliver is the co-host of the Unspooled Reel podcast and the author of the blog Wellness in 24 Frames. Oktay Ege Kozak is a film critic for The Playlist, DVD Talk, The Oregon Herald, and Beyazperde.

Hi everyone, here's a new episode of Over/Under Movies, where three Pacific Northwest-based film critics talk about one overrated and one underrated film within the same genre, style, or tone. If you enjoy our show, please write us a review on iTunes (You can find us if you search for Over/Under Movies). We're on Twitter @overundermovies. You can also like our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/overundermovies so you can be kept up to date on new episodes. If you enjoy our podcast, or find things that we can improve, or even have your own suggestions for overrated or underrated films, please comment so we can make the show better. In this episode, we discuss the career of one of the most creative and influential blockbuster directors of all time, James Cameron. Erik's picks for this episode highlights the ups and downs of the seemingly indestructible box-office titan. First, we dive into (Pun totally intended) the Special Edition cut of The Abyss, which seems to do a better job of explaining the sci-fi elements of its story than the theatrical version does. We also don't forget to bitch and moan about the terrible home video options we currently have for this gem while praying for a decent Blu-ray release in the future. That being said, here's a Cameron movie that doesn't need a new Blu-ray since it already has a demo quality one: Avatar. Still the #1 highest grossing film of all time, despite the recent efforts of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Avatar was a cultural juggernaut during its 3D IMAX release. Of course that doesn't mean it's devoid of any glaring faults, and we're here to dive into them (There isn't a pun this time around, since Avatar doesn't take place in water) as Cameron's Blue Man Group remake of Dances With Wolves serves as Erik's overrated pick for the episode. Erik McClanahan is the lead film critic at Oregon Arts Watch, co-host of the Adjust Your Tracking podcast (Also available on iTunes), and a contributor at The Playlist. Ryan Oliver is the co-host of the Unspooled Reel podcast and the author of the blog Wellness in 24 Frames. Oktay Ege Kozak is a film critic for The Playlist, DVD Talk, The Oregon Herald, and Beyazperde.

Hi everyone, here's a new episode of Over/Under Movies, where three Pacific Northwest-based film critics talk about one overrated and one underrated film within the same genre, style, or tone. If you enjoy our show, please write us a review on iTunes (You can find us if you search for Over/Under Movies). We're on Twitter @overundermovies. You can also like our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/overundermovies so you can be kept up to date on new episodes. If you enjoy our podcast, or find things we can improve, or even have suggestions on overrated or underrated films, please comment so we can improve the show. This episode focuses on Oktay's picks, and was intended as a palate cleanser after our discussion about the most underrated movies of 2015, which included some great but fairly depressing films (Make sure to check that one out. And while you're there, check out our episode about the most overrated movies of 2015 as well). So after all of that heavy stuff, we decided to have a bit of fun with some goofy genre fare as we dove into two martial arts films with african-american influences, or vice versa. First up, we discuss the 1998 hit Rush Hour, the buddy-cop comedy that propelled Jackie Chan to the US mainstream (Good), and turned Chris Tucker into a bona fide movie star (Bad). Of course, since this is un film de Brett Ratner, the discussion quickly turns into a desperate attempt to understand why people in Hollywood keep hiring such a mediocre hack. Then, it's time to meet Sho Nuff, The Shogun of Harlem, as he makes the honorable kung fu master Bruce Leroy kiss his Converse, in the glorious Motown/chopsocky mash up The Last Dragon. Does The Last Dragon deserve its reputation as a "so bad it's good" 80s artifact, or is it a genuinely good and entertaining bit of 80s fun? Erik McClanahan is the lead film critic at Oregon Arts Watch, co-host of the Adjust Your Tracking podcast (Also available on iTunes), and a contributor at The Playlist. Ryan Oliver is the co-host of the Unspooled Reel podcast and the author of the blog Wellness in 24 Frames. Oktay Ege Kozak is a film critic for The Playlist, DVD Talk, The Oregon Herald, and Beyazperde.

Hi everyone, here's a new episode of Over/Under Movies, where three Pacific Northwest-based film critics talk about one overrated and one underrated film within the same genre, style, or tone. That being said, we have a special episode for you this time around. If you enjoy our show, please write us a review on iTunes (You can find us if you search for Over/Under Movies). We're on Twitter @overundermovies. You can also like our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/overundermovies so you can be kept up to date on new episodes. If you enjoy our podcast, or find things we can improve, or even have suggestions on overrated or underrated films, please comment so we can improve the show. It's that time of the year for film buffs, where we get more than our fill of articles, blog posts, and podcast episodes about the best/worst movies of the year. Hopefully we can give you a fresh new angle as each of the critics dive into their picks for the most underrated films of 2015. This episode covers the second half of our year-end list. If you would like to find out our picks for the most overrated films of 2015, check out Episode 40 of the podcast. Erik McClanahan is the lead film critic at Oregon Arts Watch, co-host of the Adjust Your Tracking podcast (Also available on iTunes), and a contributor at The Playlist. Ryan Oliver is the co-host of the Unspooled Reel podcast and the author of the blog Wellness in 24 Frames. Oktay Ege Kozak is a film critic for The Playlist, DVD Talk, The Oregon Herald, and Beyazperde.

Hi everyone, here's a new episode of Over/Under Movies, where three Pacific Northwest-based film critics talk about one overrated and one underrated film within the same genre, style, or tone. That being said, we have a special episode for you this time around. If you enjoy our show, please write us a review on iTunes (You can find us if you search for Over/Under Movies). We're on Twitter @overundermovies. You can also like our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/overundermovies so you can be kept up to date on new episodes. If you enjoy our podcast, or find things we can improve, or even have suggestions on overrated or underrated films, please comment so we can improve the show. It's that time of the year for film buffs, where we get more than our fill of articles, blog posts, and podcast episodes about the best/worst movies of the year. Hopefully we can give you a fresh new angle as each of the critics dive into their picks for the most overrated films of 2015. This episode covers only the first half of our year-end list. We'll post our episode about the most underrated films of 2015 sometime next week, so keep an eye out for that. Erik McClanahan is the lead film critic at Oregon Arts Watch, co-host of the Adjust Your Tracking podcast (Also available on iTunes), and a contributor at The Playlist. Ryan Oliver is the co-host of the Unspooled Reel podcast and the author of the blog Wellness in 24 Frames. Oktay Ege Kozak is a film critic for The Playlist, DVD Talk, The Oregon Herald, and Beyazperde.

Hi everyone, here's a new episode of Over/Under Movies, where three Pacific Northwest-based film critics talk about one overrated and one underrated film within the same genre, style, or tone. If you enjoy our show, please write us a review on iTunes (You can find us if you search for Over/Under Movies). We're on Twitter @overundermovies. You can also like our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/overundermovies so you can be kept up to date on new episodes. If you enjoy our podcast, or find things we can improve, or even have suggestions on overrated or underrated films, please comment so we can improve the show. This episode is all about criminal lovers on the run from the law, as Ryan picks two extremely different films on the subject. We start off with Ryan's underrated pick, the somber Texan period crime drama/romance Ain't Them Bodies Saints. Can the 2013 indie by Robert Lowery get by with an assured direction and a beautiful visual style, despite some script problems? Then we move on to 1994's insane media satire Natural Born Killers, a film that Ryan and Erik find annoying, but Oktay still claims to the be quintessential masterpiece of the 90s. Will Ryan, Erik, and Oktay's friendship stay strong after this cinematic deathmatch, or is the fellowship already broken? Erik McClanahan is the lead film critic at Oregon Arts Watch, co-host of the Adjust Your Tracking podcast (Also available on iTunes), and a contributor at The Playlist. Ryan Oliver is the co-host of the Unspooled Reel podcast and the author of the blog Wellness in 24 Frames. Oktay Ege Kozak is a film critic for The Playlist, DVD Talk, The Oregon Herald, and Beyazperde.

Hi everyone, here's a new episode of Over/Under Movies, where three Pacific Northwest-based film critics talk about one overrated and one underrated film within the same genre, style, or tone. If you enjoy our show, please write us a review on iTunes (You can find us if you search for Over/Under Movies). We're on Twitter @overundermovies. You can also like our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/overundermovies so you can be kept up to date on new episodes. This is the third and final episode of our Halloween-themed series where each critic got to discuss their own horror or Halloween-related picks. The final films in the series come from Erik's depraved mind, as we end things on an equally disturbing and humorous tone. First up is Wes Craven's first feature as a director, the notorious exploitation classic Last House on the Left. Is it as horrifying as its fame suggests, or is it an atonal mess? Next, we dive into Rob Zombie's gruesome and hilarious whitesploitation grindhouse classic The Devil's Rejects. Is Zombie's fascination with bad hillbilly humor and his wife's ass as grating as it is in every other movie he made, or is this a pleasant exception? Erik McClanahan is the lead film critic at Oregon Arts Watch, co-host of the Adjust Your Tracking podcast (Also available on iTunes), and a contributor at The Playlist. Ryan Oliver is the co-host of the Unspooled Reel podcast and the author of the blog Wellness in 24 Frames. Oktay Ege Kozak is a film critic for The Playlist, DVD Talk, The Oregon Herald, and Beyazperde.