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PODCAST

Optimism Vaccine

The Optimism Vaccine Network

Optimism Vaccine’s panel of experts and idiots explore the dingy crevices between pop culture and forgotten trash in a never-ending quest to celebrate your guilty pleasures in the world of cinema and beyond.

tv & film film reviews

All Episodes

01:11:33

Abraxas, The Danish Arnold (The Cinema of Sven-Ole...

Optimism Vaccine ·

2024/04/25

THIS WEEK: Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe (1990), No Exit (1995), The Viking Sagas (1995)Hunk Month, AKA the quest to explore every muscleman-turned-actor in Arnold Schwarzenegger's orbit, continues with a look at some of the major roles played by bodybuilder/powerlifter/natural villain/danish dynamo, Sven-Ole Thorsen. That also means you get TWO Damnia Lee films, a Eurovision star, and all the Jesse Ventura fake Terminator action you can handle.Donate to Palestinian Medical Aid Support Optimism

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01:12:38

Franco's Island (The Cinema of Franco Columbu)

Optimism Vaccine ·

2024/04/19

THIS WEEK: Beretta's Island (1991), Danger in Paradise A.K.A. Taken Alive (1994), Doublecross on Costa's Island (1997), Ancient Warriors (2003)Oh, you thought Arnold Schwarzenegger was the only big Hollywood star to come out of Pumping Iron? Maybe you've forgotten all about the illustrious career of Arnie's best friend: Former bodybuilder turned writer/director/producer/action star, Franco Columbu. He's 5'5", jacked to the gills and ready to kill (or at least hack your film to pieces and re-edit it

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01:13:22

Feeling Arnold's Pump (Pumping Iron 1 and 2)

Optimism Vaccine ·

2024/04/12

THIS WEEK: Pumping Iron (1977), Pumping Iron II: The Women (1985)We don't agree on much at Optimism Vaccine, but one universal truth around here is our mutual admiration for hunky beefcakes. And when it comes to beefcakes, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bev Francis stand head and shoulders above the competition. Join us as we take a magnifying glass to two of George Butler and Charles Gaines' most influential documentaries. We'll answer all of your pressing questions like "Is Arnie the most likable

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01:29:00

Pain Don't Hurt (Three Road House Films + A Bonus...

Optimism Vaccine ·

2024/04/04

THIS WEEK: Road House (1989), Road House 2: Last Call (2006), Road House (2024), Road House (1948)How do you follow up the Rowdy Herrington helmed, Patrick Swayze starring, down-and-dirty shit-kicker fest that is the original Road House? You don't. You just don't touch it. And if you do touch it, don't cast Jake Busey like you're making an extended episode of Shasta McNasty. While you're at it, don't try to remake it 35 years later and hire Conor McGregor either.Donate to Palestinian Medical Aid

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01:19:10

Viva Santo! (The Cinema of El Santo)

Optimism Vaccine ·

2024/03/29

THIS WEEK: Santo vs. Infernal Men (1961), Santo vs. the Evil Brain (1961), Santo and Blue Demon vs. the Monsters (1970), Santo vs. Doctor Death (1973)With a lucha libre wrestling career spanning 50 years and 50+ films under his belt, El Santo achieved god-like status in Mexico without ever taking his mask off in public. Join us as we survey his storied career and see if his star power can elevate low-budget genre films into something sublime.Donate to Palestinian Medical Aid Support Optimism Vaccine

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01:15:43

2 Cob 2 Web

Optimism Vaccine ·

2024/03/22

THIS WEEK: Cobweb (2023) and the other Cobweb (2023)Last year we were blessed with not one but TWO underappreciated films named COBWEB. One is a wild Halloween-set horror flick buried at your local multiplex in the midst of Barbenheimer fever and the directorial debut of Samuel Bodin. The other is a classic film-about-a-film farce helmed by acclaimed Korean auteur Kim Jee-woon and ignored by the haters at Cannes.Donate to Palestinian Medical Aid Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon

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01:06:39

Walken Among Angels (The Prophecy Trilogy)

Optimism Vaccine ·

2024/03/15

THIS WEEK: The Prophecy (1995), The Prophecy II (1998), The Prophecy III (2000)Angels walk among us and it turns out they're just white guys with beautiful hair who wear school shooter trenchcoats. Wild! Join us as we explore the world of pre-9/11 heavenly deities and the films that made them famous**Syndicated on the SyFy channel and collecting dust on your local video store's shelves.That Vinegar Syndrome box set sure is nice though...Donate to Palestinian Medical Aid Support Optimism Vaccine on

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01:04:18

The Next Best Picture

Optimism Vaccine ·

2024/03/07

THIS WEEK: Scoundrels (1982), All American Girls (1982), Irresistible (1982), Night Hunger (1983), Nothing to Hide (1981)It's that time of year again! The big award show! The hottest night in Hollywood! Step out on the red carpet with us and celebrate the stars of the silver screen!Donate to Palestinian Medical Aid Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon

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01:17:47

Cinéma du Paris (The Cinema of Paris Hilton)

Optimism Vaccine ·

2024/02/29

THIS WEEK: House of Wax (2005), Pledge This! (2006), The Hottie & The Nottie (2008), Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)Paris Hilton is a global cultural icon whose titles include, entrepreneur, reality tv show star, DJ, recording artist, model, designer, sex tape haver and New York Times bestselling author.But what about ACTRESS? Yes, that too. Optimism Vaccine investigates.Donate to Palestinian Medical Aid Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon

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01:14:38

It Does a Body Good (Miike, Matriarchy and Mommy...

Optimism Vaccine ·

2024/02/22

THIS WEEK: Visitor Q (2001), A Lonely Cow Weeps At Dawn (2003), The Cow Who Sang a Song Into The Future (2022)People often accuse us of not "listening" to our "audience" so we're finally rolling out the long-awaited fetish content meets arthouse cinema episode you've been begging for. That's right! You can get your Takashi Miike shot-on-video fix while also appreciating an underrated indie film AND a softcore flick that looks like Ozu but swaps out the usual family drama for the heartwarming tale of

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01:28:06

Urban Legends (and not-so-legendary sequels)

Optimism Vaccine ·

2024/02/15

THIS WEEK: Urban Legend (1998), Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000), and Urban Legends: Bloody Mary (2005)Nothing gets the 90s nostalgia juices flowing like watching Jared Leto with a terrible haircut pal around with Joshua Jackson and Tara Reid. Join us as we reflect on the only film franchise that dared to ask "What if Scream was dumb? No, like, REALLY dumb" before branching out into the realm of supernatural horror and fizzling into obscurity. Put on your favorite fencing mask and get the pop rocks

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01:27:45

Second Verse, Worse Than the First (More Homegrown...

Optimism Vaccine ·

2024/02/09

THIS WEEK: Hanging Heart (1989), Moonstalker (1989), and Dead Girls (1990)We dive back into Vinegar Syndrome's Homegrown Horrors. What awaits within? A slasher without any gore, a hard rocking horror without any music, and a homoerotic legal thriller. The fun never ends here on Optimism Vaccine.Donate to Palestinian Medical Aid Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon

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01:07:10

Gang of Four (Long Arm of the Law I-IV)

Optimism Vaccine ·

2024/02/01

THIS WEEK: Long Arm of the Law (1984), Long Arm of the Law: Part 2 (1987), Long Arm of the Law: Part 3 (1989), Long Arm of the Law: Part 4 (1990)Before John Woo's stylish action flicks dominated the Hong Kong box office, Johnny Mak Tong-hung gave us his only feature film: Long Arm of the Law. And, like any classic Hong Kong action movie, three totally unrelated sequels were made (by Johnny's brother Michael, no less). Donate to Palestinian Medical Aid Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon

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01:15:42

Wild Things (and wild sequels)

Optimism Vaccine ·

2024/01/26

THIS WEEK: Wild Things (1998), Wild Things 2 (2004), Wild Things: Diamonds in the Rough (2005), Wild Things: Foursome (2010)Every red blooded film fanatic knows the original Wild Things is a pulpy sleazy neo-noir classic. BUT did you know that we were also blessed with not one, not two but THREE sequels? Even more puzzling is the fact that they're all basically identical to the original but without a strong supporting role from Bill Murray and Kevin Bacon's dong. Who needs Matt Dillon when you've

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01:09:51

Tub Slurp (Linton vs Fennell Redux)

Optimism Vaccine ·

2024/01/19

THIS WEEK: Saltburn (2023) and Chick Flick (2023)In 2023 we were blessed with a film from one of contemporary cinema's most extraordinary new voices. Oh, and Emerald Fennell made a movie about Barry Keoghan trying to impregnate a pile of dirt. Anyway, it's time to see if either of these bourgeoise girl bosses knocked it out of the park with their sophomore efforts so we can determine once and for all if we're all getting matching Louise Linton tattoos.Donate to Palestinian Medical Aid Support

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01:15:39

Do Not Blame the Babadook (Boogeymen and Boogeyboys...

Optimism Vaccine ·

2024/01/11

THIS WEEK: The Boogey Man (1980), Boogeyman (2005), The Boogeyman (2023)A boogeyman (or bogeyman if you're a little freak who can't spell) is a placeholder term for every faceless generic monster living under a bed or in a child's closet. It's only appropriate that when a boogeyman film is made it serves as a catch-all for whatever the hot horror trends of the moment are. Join us as we explore cinematic boogeymen through the ages, try to figure out what Ulli Lommel's deal was, mourn the 7th Heaven

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01:15:49

Hard Boiling (and boiled sequels)

Optimism Vaccine ·

2024/01/05

THIS WEEK: Hard Boiled (1992), Just Heroes AKA Hard Boiled 2 (1989), and The Last Blood AKA Hard Boiled 2 AKA Hard Boiled 3 (1991)If you make the greatest action film of all time before leaving Hong Kong for Hollywood, there's a good chance someone will try to make a quick buck with an in-name-only sequel. If you're really lucky, they'll just slap a new title on an old movie. Maybe even one of your own. Or someone will make an Xbox game 15 years later. This is how it works. Donate to Palestinian

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54:14

A Bloody Evil New Year

Optimism Vaccine ·

2023/12/28

THIS WEEK: New Year's Evil (1980), Bloody New Year (1987)We're true cinephiles around here so our New Year's resolution is to watch more late career Norman J. Warren flicks while simultaneously becoming the most POWERFUL podcast in the universe. Please tune in so we can finish the year strong and force Spotify to pay up.Donate to Palestinian Medical Aid Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon

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01:12:40

An Evil Bloody Christmas

Optimism Vaccine ·

2023/12/22

THIS WEEK: Christmas Evil (1980) and Blood Beat (1983)We tried our best to find some things you could watch with the whole family this holiday season. Gather 'round the Yule log and enjoy the classic combination of a glowing Christmas samurai and Santa Claus Travis Bickle. Your mom is going to love this.Donate to Palestinian Medical Aid Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon

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01:13:47

The Strange Hostel of Podcast Pleasures (Coffin Joe...

Optimism Vaccine ·

2023/12/14

THIS WEEK: The Bloody Exorcism of Coffin Joe (1974), The Strange Hostel of Naked Pleasures (1976), Embodiment of Evil (2008)We wrap up our coverage of the incomparable Zé do Caixão with the final Coffin Joe films of the 1970s and Jose Mojica Marins' late career resurrection of the character in 2008. Donate to Palestinian Medical Aid Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon

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