Unloved Sequels

An all-new adventure down the yellow brick road. At time of recording The Wizard of Oz is available to stream on HBO Max in the USA and Sky Cinema/NOW in the UK. Return to Oz is available to stream on Disney+

You are cordially invited to the royal event of the season. In this episode Michael and Claire are graduating college and preparing for life as a very normal 21-year-old - apart from the fact of also being heir apparent of a totally made up European land in which no two people's accents are the same and the revelation that unless we find someone to marry within a month we'll lose the throne to Chris Pine. It can take a lifetime to find true love; she's got 30 days in The Princess Diaries: Royal Engagement! At time of recording The Princess Diaries and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement are available to stream on Disney+ in the UK and USA.

If adventure has a name, it must be... Indiana Jones. In this episode Michael & Claire defy the laws of age, time travel and quality movie-making in an octogenarian "romp" with Fleabag and a kid that definitely isn't a plug-and-play rip-off of a character from a previous instalment. A legend will face his destiny... in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny! At time of recording the first four movies in the Indiana Jones franchise are available on Paramount+ in the USA and Prime VIdeo in the UK. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is available on Disney+ in both countries.

Something unexpected has evolved In this episode Michael & Claire are getting tricked into revisiting their biggest life trauma to date, in search of a 12 year old boy who's savvier and more resourceful than most of the adults surrounding him put together. This time it's not just a walk in the park in Jurassic Park III At time of recording Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III are available to stream on Amazon Prime Video in the UK and USA

They came. They saw. They ran. In this episode Hallowe'en goes family friendly as Michael & Claire face off against old foes, new outfits and terrible CGI - zoinks! Doo the fright thing - with Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed! At time of recording Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed are available to stream on HBO Max in the USA and Sky Cinema/NOW in the UK. Featuring a guest interview with Trace Thurman, co-host of Horror Queers and Scooby-Doo superfan.

She never forgives. She never forgets. She never left. In this episode Michael & Claire launch spooky season with a trip back to that weird, old, creepy house where a bunch of kids killed themselves in mysterious circumstances a few decades ago. Where better to take a group of pre-teen war evacuees...? Don't look! You mustn't look... at The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death At time of recording the Woman in Black and The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death are available to stream on Sky/NOW Cinema in the UK. The Woman in Black is available to stream on Paramount+ in USA, while The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death is on Peacock & Tubi.

Would the real James Bond please step forward? In this episode Michael & Claire are coming out of retirement but *definitely* showing their age in a sequel was borne out of decades of legal wrangling and is perhaps the very definition of "just because you can, doesn't mean you should" If you haven't seen Sean Connery in 'Never Say Never Again' then you haven't seen James Bond 007! (apparently...) At time of recording Never Say Never Again is available to rent or buy from most digital platforms.

The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success. In this episode Michael & Claire are taking on a power-crazed media mogul, his team of henchmen *and* his wife - not to mention a kick-ass fellow agent who could probably take on the whole movie's quota of bad guys single handed. All in a day's work for our favourite movie spy. The Man. The Number. The License...are all back in Tomorrow Never Dies! At time of recording GoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies are available to rent or buy from most digital platforms. Tomorrow Never Dies is also available on ITVX in the UK (if you don't mind watching with adverts).

There's being a kid. There's being an adult. And then there's that year in between. In this episode Michael & Claire are moving on from the movie death that scarred a generation and looking to both the future and past in a coming-of-age story that'll have you checking your mood ring to see what colour it turns. Why is it boys talk so much, when they have nothing to say? And girls have plenty to say, but no one will listen? Find out in My Girl 2! ***featuring a special guest interview with Emily Marinelli, author of Comfort Sequels: The Psychology of Movie Sequels from the 80s and 90s*** Order your copy of Comfort Sequels: The Psychology of Movie Sequels from the 80s and 90s... Amazon US (release date 20th September 2024): https://a.co/d/aWiCs8O Tucker DS Press (direct from publisher, available now): https://www.tuckerdspress.com/product-page/comfort-sequels Amazon UK (release date 30th September 2024): https://amzn.eu/d/ejfhyHT At time of recording My Girl and My Girl 2 are available to buy or rent from most online platforms, or to buy on DVD

Evolution will make a last stand. In this episode Michael & Claire are back from the dead, but with a malevolent alter-ego hell-bent on destroying the very people we once called family - all whilst wondering whether it's better to be true to oneself or to be accepted by the wider world. Featuring an exclusive deep-dive interview with X-Men x-perts Ryan and Adam from the Homo Superior podcast. Whose side will you be on? It's X-Men: The Last Stand! At time of recording all of the X-Men movies are available to stream on Disney+ in the USA and UK

Angels are like diamonds. They can't be made, you have to find them. Each one is unique. In this episode Michael & Claire are discussing a contemporary (at the time) reboot of a classic entertainment franchise - which has since had its own, more contemporary, reboot. Although whether this middle pair of instalments can be considered classics is very much a matter of opinion... This summer, the Angels are back in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle! At time of recording Charlie's Angels is included in Amazon Prime in the UK, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle in available to rent or buy from most streaming services. Both movies are available to rent or buy from most streaming services in the USA.

Born into Wealth. Groomed by the Elite. Trained for Combat. In this episode Michael & Claire are visiting an iconic video game crossover - complete with skin-tight lycra and fake nipples - to save the world from Pandora's Box and the epic destruction contained therein. Remember that "no gun" rule? She reconsidered for Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life! At time of recording Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is available to stream on Paramount+ and MGM+ in the USA and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life is available to rent & purchase from most paid streaming services. Both movies are available to stream free of charge on iPlayer in the UK

History has a nasty way of repeating itself. In this episode Michael & Claire are escaping to a small-town island community for some much-needed R&R, only to find themselves caught up in an incredibly familiar series of inexplicable bird attacks. Imagine the terror that lies ahead - it's The Birds II: Land's End! At time of recording The Birds is available to rent and buy from online platforms in the USA and UK. The Birds II: Land's End had a limited DVD release in the USA in 2022.

The devil walks the world! In this episode Michael and Claire are checking in on baby Andy thirty years later to see just what happens when Satan's spawn comes of age. Not much, as it turns out... This is the shocker you've been waiting for since the day he was born (according to the movie's taglines, at least) - it's that made-for-TV classic Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby! At time of recording Rosemary's Baby is available to rent and buy on most platforms in the UK and USA, while Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby is available to watch on YouTube at https://youtu.be/W4NGyDoRGoo?si=0d8lWpL73NpsK6TP

Journey to the most wonderful place in the universe... home. In this episode Michael and Claire are bringing our alien friends back to Earth to rescue their long-lost kin, only to find ourselves facing an existential crisis over whether a life without our own loved ones is any life at all. Five years have passed, yet somehow it only feels like three in Cocoon: The Return At time of recording Cocoon: The Return is available to rent and buy on most streaming platforms. Cocoon is not available to stream anywhere, and you'll be lucky to get hold of a copy on DVD or Blu Ray either - which is why this episode includes an exclusive interview with podcaster and YouTuber Jeff Rauseo. Follow Jeff Rauseo at https://linktr.ee/JeffRauseo?utm_source=linktree_profile_share

The Machines Will Rise In this episode Michael and Claire are facing the realisation that the globally apocalyptic event that we averted a decade ago was, in fact, inevitable and is coming back to bite us on the bum. Oh, and that kid we haven't seen since making out with them back in high school is destined to become our spouse. And, as promised, Arnold Schwarzenegger is back - this time with a sexy but silent female antagonist. She'll be back... in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines At time of recording the Terminator franchise is spread across several streaming services in both the UK and USA, so good luck tracking them down! (in the UK only, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is included in an Amazon Prime subscription)

Something has survived... In this episode Michael and Claire are heading to Site B, only to find that in a completely unpredictable turn of events the secret creatures living there are not as harmless as everyone thought. If only Jeff Goldblum had warned us it was a bad idea... Once again life has found a way in The Lost World: Jurassic Park! At time of recording Jurassic Park and The Lost World: Jurassic Park are available to stream on Sky Cinema & NOW Movies in the UK and on Max in USA.

She's been frozen for a thousand years... now it's time to break the ice. In this episode Michael and Claire discuss a centuries-old curse that happens to manifest in exactly the same way, and in exactly the same place, as a completely different centuries-old curse had done just a few years before. This is a lively comedy about a living doll - it's Mannequin 2: On the Move! At time of recording Mannequin is available to stream on MGM and Mannequin 2: On the Move on YouTube in the UK. Both movies are available on HBO Max in USA

The world's favourite family is back! In this episode Michael and Claire end 2023 the same way they started it - with a shoddy sequel to 1989's John Travolta/Kirstie Alley classic romcom. But this time it's Christmas. And there are dogs. It's our last episode of the year so grab a glass of something festive, get comfy and join us for Look Who's Talking Now! At time of recording Look Who's Talking, Look Who's Talking Too and Look Who's Talking Now are available to rent or buy on most streaming platforms.

No smoking. No littering. No red meat. No freedom of religion. Marriages must be approved. In this episode Michael and Claire visit yet another dystopian future, except this time it's strangely familiar in a sequel that certainly isn't vastly different from its first instalment... Snake is back in Escape From LA! At time of recording Escape from New York and Escape from LA are both available on Freevee in USA. In the UK Escape from New York is available on STUDIOCANAL and Escape from LA is available on Paramount+