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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

01:28:34

Saturn 3

Tentpole Trauma ·

2021/10/04

Riding the sci fi wave started by Star Wars and Alien, the success of Saturn 3 seemed written in the stars. But despite the presence of 1980’s hottest pinup Farrah Fawcett and screen legend Kirk Douglas, Stanley Donen’s take on space horror crashed and burned with critics and audiences. Join Sebastian, Jennifer and screenwriter Marc Gottlieb as they disassemble this celestial Frankenstein’s monster to see if there are parts worth salvaging.

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01:14:05

Labyrinth

Tentpole Trauma ·

2021/09/27

A fantasy film helmed by Muppets maestro Jim Henson, starring and featuring music by rock sensation David Bowie, produced by Star Wars creator George Lucas, should have been a box office smash. Yet when the cinematic fruit of this collaborative powerhouse debuted in the summer of 1986, the puppet-heavy affair had all the audience appeal of a poison apple. Join Sebastian and Jennifer as they get lost in the Labyrinth and ponder the riddle as to why this now beloved filmic fairy tale failed.

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01:34:13

Assassin's Creed

Tentpole Trauma ·

2021/09/20

Expectations were high for the big budget adaptation of the blockbuster Ubisoft video game, and with Michael Fassbender in the starring role, Assassin’s Creed was poised to kill at the box office. But despite some thrilling visuals audiences and critics did not take to the confounding plot and mythology, and the Creed met with resounding defeat. Join Sebastian, Steve and Rodney as they take the leap of faith to determine what went wrong with this strangely fascinating 2016 misfire.

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01:50:26

Batman & Robin

Tentpole Trauma ·

2021/09/13

The Batman film franchise was operating at peak bat-power following director Joel Schumacher’s smash hit Batman Forever, and with new caped crusader George Clooney in the cowl and superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger chillin’ like a villain as Mr. Freeze, Batman & Robin was poised for world domination. But the film’s over-the-top camp proved too much for fans, critics and general audiences, a frosty reception that changed the course of the franchise and the approach to comic book films forever. Join

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01:25:28

Cowboys & Aliens

Tentpole Trauma ·

2021/09/06

Take director Jon Favreau hot off the Iron Man films, Daniel Craig hot off the Bond films and Harrison Ford hot off 3 decades of superstardom and put them in a sci fi western mash up — how can that lose? Sadly their combined efforts couldn’t rustle up enough money in the summer of 2011 to be profitable…so what went wrong? Join Sebastian and Jennifer as they hit the dusty trail to determine why Cowboys & Aliens flopped.

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01:58:39

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Tentpole Trauma ·

2021/08/30

The prospect of geek idol Edgar Wright tackling an adaptation of Brian Lee O’Malley’s hit indie comic had nerds salivating in the late oughts and hoping for a franchise. But despite strong critical notices and a stacked cast of up-and-comers that included Michael Cera at the peak of his fame, the gonzo video game/anime/indie rock mashup was KO’d at the box office. Join Sebastian, Jennifer and Rodney as they take on seven evil exes to determine why Scott Pilgrim vs The World bob-ombed.

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01:41:36

Blade Runner 2049

Tentpole Trauma ·

2021/08/23

Despite the talents of Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford and visionary director Denis Villeneuve, the long-planned sequel to Ridley Scott’s dystopian classic crashed and burned when it landed at the box office in 2017. Critics lauded the great performances and dazzling visuals, so where did it all go wrong? Join Sebastian, Chris and Troy as they get back to baseline and ponder the perplexing failure of Blade Runner 2049.

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02:24:09

Blade Runner

Tentpole Trauma ·

2021/08/16

Despite its massive cultural footprint and influence over the look of modern blockbuster cinema, Ridley Scott’s sci fi neo-noir epic Blade Runner was not a smash hit when it landed in 1982. The film boasted top notch special effects, jaw-dropping production design and the presence of newly minted superstar Harrison Ford, so why were audiences not initially dazzled? Join more human than human hosts Sebastian, Chris and Troy as they put this now celebrated masterpiece to the empathy test.

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01:45:49

Tron

Tentpole Trauma ·

2021/08/09

1982 was a big year for genre films, and Disney was hoping that Steve Lisberger’s video game fantasy Tron would be a Star Wars sized phenomenon. Sadly the bits did not fall in their favor and despite being a visual feast and a technological trendsetter, the film fell short with sci fi fans and box office receipts. Join Sebastian, Troy and super-fan Steve as they bust out the data discs and fire up the light cycles for this computerized cult classic.

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01:35:51

Jaws: The Revenge

Tentpole Trauma ·

2021/08/02

The Jaws franchise was sinking steadily by 1987, yet no one could have predicted how viciously Joseph Sergeant’s Jaws: The Revenge would be received. With Lorraine Gary as the only holdover from the original there was no righting this misguided shark hunt and not even the addition of Michael Caine could save it, but is it really worthless chum? Join Sebastian, Jennifer and Troy as they get personal with this notorious great white flop.

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01:33:28

Big Trouble in Little China

Tentpole Trauma ·

2021/07/26

1986 was a wildly eclectic year for genre cinema, but arguably no offering was as a harder sell than John Carpenter’s Big Trouble in Little China. Re-teaming with leading man Kurt Russell and bringing in future Sex and the City cougar Kim Cattrall, Carpenter’s chop-socky supernatural adventure failed to ignite the box office and left audiences baffled before earning its place as a cult classic decades later. Join Sebastian and Jennifer as they brace against the three storms and Kung fu fight their

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02:22:05

Alien 3

Tentpole Trauma ·

2021/07/19

Though not a total financial disaster, 1992’s Alien 3 met with a hostile reaction from audiences and earned a toxic reputation that threatened to derail what had proven a sturdy sci fi horror franchise. Fans of James Cameron’s crowd pleasing Aliens hoped for more of the same from Ripley and co, but taken on its own terms is David Fincher’s disowned directorial debut really that bad? Join Sebastian, Chris and Steve as they spit acid at each other over the pros and (space) cons of this much maligned

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01:26:10

Gigli

Tentpole Trauma ·

2021/07/12

There was no hotter celebrity couple in 2003 than Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, so naturally a romantic comedy built around their undeniable chemistry would ignite the passion of cinema goers everywhere, right? As it turned out — no! Martin Brest’s Gigli revolted both ticket buyers and critics at a level of toxicity that threatened to ruin careers — is it really that bad? Yes, it is! But in celebration of the recent romantic reunion of Ben and JLo; Sebastian, Jennifer and Sonic the Hedgehog

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01:20:31

Army of Darkness

Tentpole Trauma ·

2021/07/05

Coming hot off the surprise success of Darkman, director/visionary Sam Raimi chose to parlay his newfound studio cred into reuniting with star Bruce “the Chin” Campbell and completing the Evil Dead trilogy, a prospect that had horror fans ready to swallow their souls. But the sword and sorcery slapstick tribute to Ray Harryhausen he delivered received an initially tepid response from fans, and the box office wasn’t much better. Join Sebastian and Jennifer as they pry open the Necronomicon and

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01:51:32

Exorcist II: The Heretic

Tentpole Trauma ·

2021/06/28

A sequel to the blockbuster smash The Exorcist wouldn’t have seemed a devil’s bargain in 1977, and with Richard Burton joining returning players Linda Blair and Max Von Sydow, signs were favorable for another horror hit. But Zardoz director John Boorman’s fever dream of a film was reviled by critics and ticket buyers, resulting in one of the most universally lambasted movies of all times. Join Sebastian, Jennifer and Rodney as they attempt to exorcise the demons of Exorcist II: The Heretic.

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01:34:44

Flash Gordon

Tentpole Trauma ·

2021/06/21

FLASH! Aaahaaa! After the mega-success of Star Wars, producer Dino De Laurentis hoped to cash in on space opera fever with a big screen adaptation of the comic strip/serial that inspired George Lucas to create a galaxy far far away. But despite wild, colorful sets, sexy stars and a killer rock score by Queen, director Mike Hodges’ campy film failed to reach cosmic heights, either with critics or the box office. Join Sebastian, Jennifer and Troy the Merciless as they blast off to save the universe

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01:54:56

Waterworld

Tentpole Trauma ·

2021/06/14

By the mid 90s Kevin Costner was riding high as both a leading man and director, so the idea that he should headline (and largely ghost direct) a big budget post apocalyptic blockbuster seemed a fail-safe proposition. But after a high profile shoot plagued with problems and cost overruns the film was released to tepid box office receipts and a merciless drubbing from critics who mocked Costner’s hubris and cruelly dubbed the film “Fishtar”, preordaining it as one of the most massive filmic failures

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01:23:49

The Shawshank Redemption

Tentpole Trauma ·

2021/06/07

Though universally accepted as a modern classic, Frank Darabont’s adaptation of the Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption went virtually ignored at the box office when it was released in late 1994. But how could the top rated film on IMDB be guilty of such a crime? Join Sebastian and Jennifer as they revisit The Shawshank Redemption and dig deep into the truth of why it did hard time as a financial failure before finding redemption with audiences.

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01:51:11

John Carpenter's The Thing

Tentpole Trauma ·

2021/05/31

Coming hot off the success of Halloween and Escape From New York, director/composer John Carpenter was the ideal candidate to remake the sci fi horror classic The Thing. With Kurt Russell in the lead, the film boasted stunning effects work from Rob Bottin and was an absolute master class in suspense and paranoia — so why did the zeitgeist violently reject it during the summer of 1982? Join Sebastian, Jennifer and Troy in the Antarctic as they thaw this beloved creature feature from the ice to biopsy

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01:57:50

Warcraft

Tentpole Trauma ·

2021/05/24

Video game adaptations are often a dicey proposition but the high fantasy World of Warcraft games seemed ready-made for blockbuster cinema, and hot genre director Duncan Jones seemed a solid pick to bring it to life. Unfortunately the end result met with critical and box office indifference in the states and put plans for a Lord of the Rings level film franchise on hold — so what went wrong? Join Sebastian, Rodney and Steve as they delve deep — perhaps too deep — into the dense mythology of 2016’s

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166 results

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