Optimism Vaccine The Optimism Vaccine Network

THIS WEEK: Slash (1984), The Intruder AKA Pembalasan Rambu (1985), Strike Commando (1987)
Knockoff month marches on with a visit to Indonesia and the Philippines where we trade in Stallone’s Rambo for a Rambu, a Ransom, and a guy named Slash with a DIY rocket launcher. One of these movies was filmed in the exact same location as Apocalypse Now, but is it as good? Tune in to find out.
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THIS WEEK: Creature (1985), Creepozoids (1987), Shocking Dark AKA Terminator II (1987)
Knockoff Month has jumped from fake Terminators to a scene-for-scene ripoff of Aliens (1986) inexplicably marketed as a Terminator sequel in Italy. Speaking of beloved knockoff auteurs, David DeCoteau once again makes his mark on the pod with the only Alien ripoff where Linnea Quigley takes a lengthy shower during an apocalyptic drought. Finally, we cover William Malone's Creature (1985) because we figured at least one of these Alien knockoffs should be set in space and feature Klaus Kinski eating a sandwich.
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THIS WEEK: Assassin (1986), Lady Terminator (1989), Solo (1996)
WELCOME TO KNOCKOFF MONTH
Whether it's a TV movie of the week, a bizarre transmission from the shores of Indonesia, or just a pile of Mario Van Peebles trash, you can't go wrong with a classic Terminator knockoff. Or maybe these are Robocop knockoffs? Or Universal Soldier knockoffs? Well, regardless, they've got robots with guns and no one with a fraction of Arnold Schwarzenegger's charisma. What more could you ask for?
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THIS WEEK: Straight-Jacket (1964), Berserk (1967), Trog (1970)
After a career resurgence with the hagsploitation classic, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, Joan Crawford spent the final decade of her career in kitschy William Castle films, a Circus whodunit, and a murderous monkey man pseudo-horror flick. Sure, it ain't Mildred Pierce, but how do Mommie Dearest's final films stack up to the exploitation fair of the era? And, more importantly, can the first "Queen of the Movies" from Hollywood's golden era elevate ho-hum schlock into something special?

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THIS WEEK: The Intruder, aka I Hate Your Guts (1962), X: The Man With The X-Ray Eyes (1963), Frankenstein Unbound (1990)
The god of independent filmmaking. The mentor who helped jumpstart the careers of Martin Scorsese, Jonathan Demme, Peter Bogdanovich, Joe Dante, and Francis Ford Coppola. The cheap asshole who claims he never lost a dime making movies.
Roger Corman was a titan who left an indelible mark on cinema.
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THIS WEEK: Mother's Day (1980), Mommie Dearest (1981), Grand Jeté (2022)
Some cowards only celebrate moms once a year. Here, we're dedicated to eschewing that silly Hallmark holiday and respecting mothers a week later when no one is expecting it. We're absolutely not late on this one I promise. So why not celebrate moms the best way we know how: With three of the finest and most upstanding mothers in cinematic history. No Wire hangers this week. Just a juicy slab of hicksploitation, a notorious flop, and some arthouse slop.
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