Craft Disservices cover art

Craft Disservices

Craft Disservices

By: Just Enough Trope
Listen for free

About this listen

 The good "bad" movies of cinematic historyCopyright justenoughtrope Art
Episodes
  • Episode 18: Superman III

    Episode 18: Superman III
    Dec 1 2022
    This week, impressive computer magic can do anything as we hit the slopes (and the streets) to save the reputation of Superman III!

    Writer and podcaster Joe Mazel joins the show to talk about the probably not as bad as you remember third installment in the Christopher Reeve Superman franchise. With Lois out of town and things quiet in Metropolis, Clark Kent takes an opportunity to return to his hometown of Smallville for his 20th high school reunion. But unbeknownst to him, a new and more insidious threat is emerging to seize control of the world's computer systems and he'll need the help of morally flexible hacker Gus Gorman to defeat a cybernetic menace!

    The Reeve Superman films stand within a now almost unrecognizable era of big-budget genre films, where studios like Warner Brothers lent out their most valuable properties to whoever had the money and ambition to bring them to the screen. Though the current verticality of the superhero blockbuster has led to more consistency in output, there is something to say for the erratic charm of superhero films of yore, when Richard Pryor could star as a hacker with a heart of gold or Clark could enjoy the simple pleasures of homemade dog food. In this episode, we talk about the unasked for humor of the Lester Superman films, the charming throwback of Reeve's Man of Steel, the titanic scale of the Superman blockbusters of the past, defining Supes for a new millennium, the deep bench of the DC Universe, the way the film's characters are all met with personal challenges of growth, and that "wacky" opening sequence.

    Plus, we also discuss the "humorous" Marvel style, marrying your cousin on Krypton, subbing Alberta for NYC, sun-kissed Superman, Richard Pryor's Star Wars cantina, a lack of "snow" jokes, paying off your acid, God becoming the Devil, the RoboCop/Schwarzenegger matrix, and the tragedy of Brad!

    Citizen Kane is a jerk!

    Constantine
    Rotten Tomatoes: 30%
    Metacritic: 44
    IMDB: 5/10

    Follow Joe on Twitter and check out ABCDTOS!
    http://www.twitter.com/joemazel1
    http://www.twitter.com/abcdtos

    Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter or our Discord channel!
    http://www.facebook.com/craftdisservices
    http://www.twitter.com/craftdisservice
    https://discord.gg/49bzqdpBpx
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 50 mins
  • Episode 17: Constantine

    Episode 17: Constantine
    Oct 31 2022
    This Halloween, Craft Disservices rises from the dead for a discussion about an early comic book film so underrated it's scary: 2005's "Constantine"!

    Film critic and author Darren Mooney of the Escapist joins the show to talk about the only recently remembered film adaptation of the classic Vertigo comic "Hellblazer". Post-"Matrix" Keanu Reeves stars as the blue-collar warlock Constantine, a paranormal investigator damned to Hell for his sins and his generally lousy attitude. When police detective Angela Dodson's twin sister dies under mysterious circumstances, Constantine will find himself pulled into a war between Heaven and Hell with innocent souls hanging in the balance!

    Constantine is something of an odd artifact of the pre-Nolan, pre-Downey landscape of comic films. It was a financial success, but critics (and some audiences) bounced off of its murky morality and turgid visuals. It's only from the perspective of our current sanitized MCU Purgatory that some have looked back to efforts like Constantine as films standing in the gap between the forces of brand recognition and marketability. In this episode, we talk about how you "couldn't make this today", the exaggerated "death of cinema", how the algorithm determines what gets made, the film's stark Bush-era immigration metaphors, and how critics often recoil from "odd" movies.

    Plus, we talk about famous grump Alan Moore, mid-period Keanu, the last gasp of the non-franchise comic film, Black Adam's baldness, Nic Cage, "theological noir", Rachel Weisz in a tub, hugging and learning, a great Satan, swinging for the fences with your adaptation, "Ennisonian", and angels with dirty faces!

    Don't hex us, Alan Moore!

    Constantine
    Rotten Tomatoes: 46%
    Metacritic: 50
    IMDB: 7/10

    Follow Darren on Twitter and check out The 250!
    http://www.twitter.com/darren_mooney
    http://www.twitter.com/thetwofifty

    Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter or our Discord channel!
    http://www.facebook.com/craftdisservices
    http://www.twitter.com/craftdisservice
    https://discord.gg/49bzqdpBpx
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 59 mins
  • Episode 16: Atlantis: The Lost Empire

    Episode 16: Atlantis: The Lost Empire
    Feb 4 2020
    Come for the Disney name, stay for the treachery, death by misadventure, and rampant tobacco use . . . we're battening the hatches and diving to "Atlantis: The Lost Empire!"

    Blogger, podcaster, and critic Noel Thingvall joins the show to talk about the ambitious Disney film that failed to reach a broader audience but succeeded in showing what animated features could accomplish. Milo Thatch wants to follow in the famous footsteps of his explorer grandfather, but he'll find himself caught up in a sinister plot to discover and exploit the fabled sunken city of Atlantis!

    Disney animation had dominated the box office (and home video market) since its revival in 1989 with "The Little Mermaid", but as the 2000s dawned, it found itself facing a creative brain-drain and diminishing returns. With "Atlantis", the House of Mouse called on lauded creators, talented designers, and a star-studded voice cast to give life to a sweeping epic adventure that could appeal to older audiences as well as selling toys. "Atlantis" was met with indifference by the general public but over the years it's come to be appreciated for its unique sense of design, its adult aesthetic, and the humor and gravitas of its performances. On this episode, we discuss the film's pioneering blend of hand-drawn and computer-generated animation, the influence of Mike Mignola's art on "Atlantis" and future films, the film's basis in the Disney adventure films of the '50s, the myth of Atlantis as social trauma preserved in myth, the film's aborted Viking prologue, its better-than-you-think sequel, and why sci-fi animation is a hard sell in Hollywood.

    Plus, we talk about video game films and why they rarely work, being openly geek, the influence of anime on Disney and Western animation, Joss Whedon and his involvement with the film, SO MANY DEATHS, skinny Indiana Jones, stealing from "Stargate", letting your kid choose your movie project, the secret origin of "Disney PG", a Bollywood "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", #ReleaseTheMurphyCut, and "John Carter" comes up more than you'd expect!

    It's a ragtag found-family of pirates that make a heel turn and then make a face turn and have among their member a plucky young female mechanic!

    Atlantis: The Lost Empire Scores
    Rotten Tomatoes: 49%
    Metacritic: 52
    IMDB: 6.9/10

    Follow Noel on Twitter and check out his other podcasts!
    http://www.twitter.com/NoelCT
    http://noelct.blogspot.com/

    Get Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Milo's Return on Blu-ray!
    https://amzn.to/36YUhAR

    Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter or our Discord channel!
    http://www.facebook.com/craftdisservices
    http://www.twitter.com/craftdisservice
    https://discord.gg/fv5RJuX
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 30 mins
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.