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PODCAST

Tentpole Trauma

Tentpole Trauma

A podcast where we look at movies that came with hype and high hopes, but left with crushing disappointment, either critically, at the box office, or both.

tv & film film history

All Episodes

01:02:14

Donnie Darko

Tentpole Trauma ·

2022/03/07

While no one was expecting Richard Kelly’s 2001 sci fi brain-boiler Donnie Darko to be a tentpole film, it’s meager box office returns were disappointing even for such a low budget genre feature. But the film has garnered a significant legacy by introducing the world to both Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal, and is now revered as a cult classic by lovers of gonzo cinema. Join Sebastian and Jennifer as they close the time loop on this delightfully dark and funny lightning in a bottle film.

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01:48:11

Krull

Tentpole Trauma ·

2022/02/28

Excalibur meets Star Wars — in 1983 that elevator pitch was all that was needed to green light the big budget sci fi fantasy epic Krull.But despite a seasoned director at the helm and high production values — as well as then unknown Liam Neeson and Robbie Coltrane in supporting roles — the film landed with a thud at the box office. Join Sebastian, Troy and Richard as they wield the Glaive to conquer the convoluted world-building of Krull!

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01:23:42

Gemini Man

Tentpole Trauma ·

2022/02/21

Double the Will Smith means double the boffo box office, right? Well, when it came to Ang Lee’s 2019 sci fi spy thriller Gemini Man, not so much. Despite Lee’s assured direction and the star power of Big Willy in dual roles, the film failed to generate any action at the box office or with critics. Join Sebastian, Jennifer and Viewer Discretion Advised’s VQ as they battle their younger selves to determine why this high concept thriller suffered a financial and critical headshot.

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02:01:11

A Tale of Two Terminators

Tentpole Trauma ·

2022/02/14

We’re doubling down on trauma this week by discussing two Terminator films in one episode! How can a once blockbuster sci fi franchise that sprang from the mind of James Cameron fail to revive itself twice in a row? Join a sent from the future Sebastian and Malcontent Media’s Sean Farina as they say hasta la vista baby to both 2015’s Terminator Genisys and 2019’s Terminator Dark Fate!

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00:52:52

R.I.P.D.

Tentpole Trauma ·

2022/02/07

A Men in Black ripoff starring Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges as mismatched afterlife cops — who wouldn’t want that right? Well, it turns out pretty much no one, but that doesn’t mean that Robert Schwentke’s 2013 box office bomb isn’t worth discussing! Join Sebastian and Jennifer as they exhume the nearly forgotten exquisite corpse of this ill-conceived Boston based supernatural action comedy.

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01:24:43

Cutthroat Island

Tentpole Trauma ·

2022/01/31

Ahoy mateys! The careers of director Renny Harlin and star Geena Davis were as hot as their romance in 1995, so what better way to celebrate their love than to make a mega budget pirate movie? Unfortunately for the couple, the resulting effort was a box office bomb so massive it landed in the Guinness Book of Records, but is it really that much of a shipwreck? Join Sebastian, Jennifer and Richard as they hoist up the old Jolly Roger and set sail for Cutthroat Island!

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01:10:03

The Lone Ranger

Tentpole Trauma ·

2022/01/24

Attempting to capitalize on Johnny Depp and Disney’s Pirates ofthe Caribbean heat with a fresh take on a classic western IP probably seemed like a good idea back in 2013. Add to that rising star and cannibal fetishist Armie Hammer as a co-lead and what could possibly go wrong kemosabe? Join Sebastian and Jennifer as they climb aboard Gore Verbinski’s 250 million dollar box office trainwreck and peek under the mask of The Lone Ranger.

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02:15:58

The Matrix Resurrections

Tentpole Trauma ·

2022/01/17

It took nearly 20 years, but Warner studios finally managed to coax the Wachowskis — well, one of them at least — to resurrect their most viable franchise, the Matrix. But considering the lackluster box office returns of The Matrix Resurrections, the world may not have been ready for Lana Wachowski’s bitter red pill of a movie. Join Sebastian, Chris and Rodney as they reconvene down the rabbit hole for this perplexingly meta rebootquel.

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01:00:43

West Side Story (2021)

Tentpole Trauma ·

2022/01/03

Take one of the most beloved Broadway musicals of all time and give it to the world’s greatest living director, and you’ve got a license to print money, right? Somehow Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim classic West Side Story stalled at the box office despite garnering stellar reviews — was it a victim of Covid, or has the audience’s appetite for singing and dancing simply faded? Join Sebastian and Jennifer as they get ready to rumble and fall into ill-fated love with this

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01:15:38

Jupiter Ascending

Tentpole Trauma ·

2021/12/27

Wachowskis' month comes to a close with their 2015 space opera Jupiter Ascending. Warner Brothers banked that the Wachowskis’ Cinderella meets Star Wars original IP would be the next big franchise, and with Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis bringing the onscreen sparks, success seemed written in the stars. Yet this sci fi fairytale didn’t have a happy ending and bombed big with both critics and audiences. Join Sebastian and Jennifer as they skate the skyways to make sense of this silly but sometimes

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02:22:24

Matrix Revolutions

Tentpole Trauma ·

2021/12/20

Wachowskis' month continues with an epic discussion of all things Matrix! Expectations could not have been higher for the Matrix sequels following the seismic cultural impact of the first genre-defining film. But the response to Matrix Reloaded was somewhat muted when it dropped in the summer of 2003, so much so that when Matrix Revolutions opened a mere six months later, the reception was downright toxic, effectively killing what could have been an ongoing franchise. How did this sci fi juggernaut

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01:36:33

Speed Racer

Tentpole Trauma ·

2021/12/13

Wachowskis' month continues at a breakneck pace with our discussion of Speed Racer! Teaming the Wachowskis with a classic anime property seemed a grand trophy proposition back in 2008, and the directing team certainly delivered in terms of daring visuals and inventive editing techniques. But despite winning a cult following in subsequent years, audiences and critics were not ready for this candy colored racing extravaganza when it cruised into theaters. Join Sebastian, Steve and Richard on the

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01:46:41

Cloud Atlas

Tentpole Trauma ·

2021/12/06

Tentpole Trauma is celebrating the Wachowskis all month long, starting with perhaps their most audacious film, 2012’s Cloud Atlas. Adapting David Mitchell’s time hopping novel was never going to be an easy sell, but with the help of co-director Tom Tykwer and superstars Tom Hanks and Halle Berry in multiple roles, the Wachowskis felt up to the task. But the film was plagued by bad press due to some controversial race swapping choices and while the finished product was suitably epic, it failed to

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01:21:13

Ghostbusters (2016)

Tentpole Trauma ·

2021/11/29

Sony had been looking to resurrect the Ghostbusters for the big screen for decades, but after many failed attempts, a full reboot finally materialized in 2016. But toxic fans were upset about director Paul Feig’s decision to go with an all female team, and despite an A-list cast featuring Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones the film failed to scare up the box office numbers the studio was hoping for. Join Sebastian, Jen and Steve as they cross streams to determine if these

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01:42:14

Battlefield Earth

Tentpole Trauma ·

2021/11/22

Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard’s sci fi epic Battlefield Earth had a light year journey to the big screen, but devoted acolyte John Travolta managed to leverage a big budget adaptation into theaters in the summer of 2000. Unfortunately the critical reaction was more apocalyptic than the film’s setting with Travolta’s dreadlocked alien antagonist eliciting worldwide mockery and director Roger Christian’s Dutch angle-heavy directing making for a muddled, unappealing mess. Join Sebastian, Jennifer

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01:11:00

Catwoman

Tentpole Trauma ·

2021/11/15

Handing Academy Award winner Halle Berry a superhero franchise seemed like a purr-fectly sound idea back in 2004, and her inherent sass and feline beauty seemed ideal for the role of Batman's main squeeze Catwoman. But an untested director and some poor story and design choices pointed to a potential cat-tastrophe, and the film arrived to mocking yowls from both critics and fans alike. But does it really deserve to be discarded in the litterbox of movie history? Join Sebastian and Jennifer as they

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01:29:04

Poltergeist III

Tentpole Trauma ·

2021/10/31

CAROL ANNE! Steven Spielberg and Tobe Hooper’s Poltergeist helped to reinvent the haunted house genre, spawning an 80s horror franchise that stood apart from the slasher wave. But despite a grave-ly disappointing 1st sequel and an unfortunate narrative that the films were somehow “cursed” due to the deaths of cast members, no one was prepared for how low things would go with director Gary Sherman’s 1988 effort Poltergeist III. Join Sebastian, Jennifer and Troy as they put the Halloween season to

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01:09:01

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Tentpole Trauma ·

2021/10/25

Disney were on a downturn for much of the late 70s and early 80s, but studio executives were hopeful that a lush adaptation of a classic Ray Bradbury novel might turn things around. Sadly, Jack Clayton’s spooky 1983 effort did not deliver the desired results, despite a strong cast that featured Jason Robards and Jonathan Pryce. But is this a carnival worth revisiting? Join Sebastian and Jennifer as they prick their thumbs and continue the Halloween season fun with Something Wicked This Way

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02:02:12

Rob Zombie's Halloween II

Tentpole Trauma ·

2021/10/18

Coming off of the 2007 remake of Halloween, hopes were high that auteur director and rocker Rob Zombie would deliver another pumpkin-smashing hit. But few were keen on the radical re-invention of iconic slasher Michael Myers, the proliferation of white trash hysterics and the addition of bizarre symbolic imagery. That said, could there be an artistic method to this blood-drenched madness? Join Sebastian, Jennifer and Rodney as they get down and dirty in the sleaze, brutality and gonzo

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01:28:22

Halloween III Season of the Witch

Tentpole Trauma ·

2021/10/11

John Carpenter’s low budget smash Halloween set the pace for early 80s horror, and after a successful sequel audiences were primed for more of lead slasher Michael Myers. So it came as an unwelcome shock when the Myers-less Halloween III Season of the Witch took a different and decidedly bizarre sci fi approach, one roundly rejected by critics and fans. But is this a mean-spirited trick or a misunderstood treat? Join Sebastian, Jennifer and Troy as they kick off the festival of Samhain by carving

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166 results

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