Big Daddy Dispatch: March 2025

Dispatch Ninety-Four, February 28, 2025

It’s that time again, friends. The snow is melting, the leaves are starting to sprout, the Irish are readying their stomachs for their annual day of debauchery, and of course, the We Hate Movies gang has lost control over their own damn show. That’s right, it’s Listener Request Month! You put us through the ringer year after year and this one is certainly no exception, but you already know because you’re a cool person that always watches On Screen Live and you saw the live drawing WEEKS ago. Oh, you didn’t? Well, what’re you doing? No, seriously, it’s a super-fun show we do most Mondays at noon streaming live on YouTube. Subscribe and you’ll never miss an update!

Banner Credit: We Hate Movies Logo by Felipe Sobreiro

Image Credit: We Hate Movies: Listener Request Drawing 2025 by WHM 

WHM GOES ABROAD

This summer is going to be momentous for your old friends at WHM! We’re going over the pond to perform in Oxford, England for The Oxford Comedy Festival! This July we will be doing six shows in three nights, including some of our patented Patreon side shows live for the very first time! You do not want to miss:

July 18th – Early Show: Animation Damnation on TMNT’s “Elementary My Dear Turtle”

July 18th – Late Show: WHM on Quantum of Solace

July 19th – Early Show: Gleep Glossary on Darth Vader

July 19th – Late Show: WLM on Hellraiser

July 20th – Early Show: The Nexus on TNG’s “Sub Rosa”

July 20th – Late Show: WHM on King Ralph

UPDATE: TICKETS ARE GOING VERY FAST. Get yours now before it’s too late! We don’t know when or if we’ll be allowed overseas again!

LAST MONTH ON WHM

Episode 782 – Identity (2003)

Welcome to WAIT-WHUTuary, everyone! This month we work exclusively with movies with big dumb (or dumb-ish) twists at the end, and what better way to start but by accompanying the boys to the Bates Motel Redux in Rain City, where a group of travelers and the staff of the motel are getting picked off one by one. How many people soured on this movie immediately when the twist happened? How many people soured on John Cusack for good after witnessing this mess? The deaths are good, but is there any way to make this not feel like a needlessly extended Tales from the Crypt episode? Wasting a cast like this really does make it all that much worse.

Episode 783 – Donnie Darko (Patrons Only)

Wake up...we’re talking about Richard Kelly! For the We Love Movies edition of WAIT-WHUTuary, Andrew, Eric, Chris, and Steve head back to high school to study the philosophy of time travel and try to prevent an apocalyptic series of events alongside Donald Darko. Why won’t they let one of the best directors of the aughts make more movies? (UPDATE: Apparently, our boy is finally out of movie jail!) How funny is it that this is how so many people first encountered Seth Rogen? Is there a better death-foretelling human-rabbit than Frank? No, keep thinking. I can wait.

Episode 784 – Vanilla Sky

WAIT-WHUTuary continues apace as Andrew, Chris, Steve, and Eric head into the mind sphere of magazine tycoon and possible murderer, Tom Cruise, who is coming apart following a bad car accident with his booty call. How does this stack up to the original film which starred Penelope Cruz in the same role? Is it ever socially justifiable to wear a mask out to the club? Are we ever going to get Jason Lee back into movies or what? And yes, Eric said he will try therapy but only if he gets a Kurt Russell therapist. This is what progress looks like, folks!

Episode 785 –  Primal Fear

No version of WAIT-WHUTuary would be complete without the fellas discussing this prime slab of TNT-TBS weekend afternoon programming, in which high-priced celebrity defense attorney Richard Gere takes on totally innocent priest-killer Edward Norton. We love him, but do we need this Steven Bauer storyline here? How often and to what degree are you kicking yourself if you broke up with Laura Linney in 1996? Is it fair to consider the courtroom scenes in this movie realistic or even believably reflective of how our justice system works? No. The answer is no.

Episode 786 – Signs

To round out WAIT-WHUTuary, the gang had to return to the master of the twist, who goes a whole 45 minutes outside of his beloved Philly to tell the story of a former priest who is beset with an alien invasion while stilling mourning the gruesome accidental death of his wife. Is that Michael Showalter doing a Charlie Sheen in Ferris Bueller in the middle of this movie? Is this the best-looking Shyamalan movie out there? Do we all have dry pants following the Brazilian birthday party video? That’s right, we’re calling for an audience-wide pants check. Please report back.

WHAT ARE WE WATCHING?

This is a space for us to talk about some NON-We Hate Movies related content that we've shoved into our eyeballs in the last month: TV, Movies, Cartoons, and Sports (maybe?). Just about anything that isn't pornography.

Andrew:  I’m not gonna waste people’s time and use this space to mention any of the films I caught out of Sundance this year, but WOOF. Instead, let’s take a look at some other stuff I put in front of my baby blues this month:

Enter the Dragon (1973): I rewatched this as I was finishing up the titles in that Criterion Bruce Lee set that I bought a hundred years ago and never watched. I love this movie. It’s so simple, so fun, so totally ripped off by the Mortal Kombat movie. It’s all great. Love the John Saxon of it all. Let’s just say, not a lot of wide shots of that guy doing kung fu… 

The Lady Eve (1941): Rewatched this on Criterion blu-ray for Chelsea and my Valentine’s Day curation. It’s such a funny and weird movie. Henry Fonda is so great as this rich, but harmless dumbass. And wowza, Barbara Stanwyck turns in the horniest performance of 1941! Big recommend if you haven’t seen this one. 

Okja (2017): I had the pleasure of being around Director Bong while putting on a retro of his work back in 2016 when he was completing the script and doing some location scouting for this one and I think because of that, I never wound up actually watching it when it finally came out. Admittedly, part of me was also just avoiding the movie because I was nervous that something fucking AWFUL was going to happen to poor Okja. I finally worked up the guts checked out the Criterion 4K and ultimately, I think it’s one of Bong's weaker efforts, but even that means it’s still pretty fantastic. Ahn Seo-hyun and Tilda Swinton and Paul Dano are all great. I didn’t have the slightest clue what Gyllenhaal was doing, but damned if I wasn’t laughing at it. 

Panic Room (2002): I’ve been going through and snatching up all the Fincher’s on 4K as they’re released, so I revisited this the other night and was really blown away. I don’t think I’d seen it in its entirety since it was in theaters, but wowza. This movie has really moved up in my Fincher rankings, that’s for sure. Everyone in the cast is absolutely great, and the way Fincher moves the camera through the house is so much fun. If you haven’t seen this in a while, I suggest maybe going back and giving it another spin. 

The Cathedral of New Emotions (2006): For drug and animation enthusiasts only! LOL/JK (but only a little j/k). I picked this up from Deaf Crocodile after seeing a particularly solid plug for the disc on Bluesky from Pure Cinema Podcast & Just the Discs Podcast host, Brian Saur, and decided to give it a shot. Glad I did. It’s certainly not for everyone, but I found the animation to be a total trip (yes, I’d consumed some potent psilocybin tea that morning) and the acid jazz-ish soundtrack is wild. At its core, it’s a pretty neat sci-fi tale about a Berlin commune that gets blasted off into space in the early 1970’s, forced to explore the cosmos for an infinite amount of time, apparently, who come across a strange planet and try to investigate, with dangerous results. It’s like 66 minutes and totally out there and bizarre. So, if this kind of stuff floats your boat, definitely check out this Deaf Crocodile release, I’m not sure where else you may find this one.

Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain (2023): Hey, it’s not great, but I’m not made of stone. Tons of laughs to be had in this, including several from Conan O’Brien playing the one non-nepo kid in the troop’s dad. Its biggest problem is that it’s shot exactly like an SNL digital short, so it’s totally devoid of any kind of cinematic aesthetic, which makes it just feel like a 92-minute sketch. Which is long for a sketch, even by modern day SNL standards.

Chris:  Cleaner: The second Martin Campbell movie to see stateside release so far this year and the better one by a country mile. This is not necessarily a great feat when you’re up against something as tedious and predictable as Dirty Angels, and it’s not as if either of these even graze his best work, including two of the best Bonds and The Mask of Zorro. Still, as Die Hard rip-offs go, Cleaner is consistently entertaining and packs in little narrative surprises that help keep up the pace. It’s also thrilling to see Daisy Ridley get a chance to do some lead work and she sincerely seems to relish action work. Campbell keeps things surprisingly physical, and she is game for the entire runtime. There are not that many fights and only one or two good deaths, which is a bummer, but the script hues closely to cause-and-effect structure and unfolds exhilaratingly for most of the runtime, even if the story arc is obvious and the dialogue is, er, hit and miss, to put it kindly. Not something to rush out to, but this fucker would have done crazy numbers in the TNT-TBS salad days of rerunning second-tier blockbusters.

One of Them Days: Boy, I wish I had found time to see this in the theater. First-time director Lawrence Lamont, working from a very funny script by former Insecure writer Syreeta Singleton, does an impressive job splicing the tone of F. Gary Gray’s Friday and Boots Riley’s Sorry to Bother You, and even if you wish they had trodden a bit further toward the latter, they create a believable, yet joyfully inventive and surreal world to set SZA and Keke Palmer free in. Few comedic pairings in the wake of Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly have felt as natural, fruitful, and giddily unpredictable as Palmer and SZA’s work here, and they never allow the jokes to overtake the deeper emotional connection between their characters which they summon early and seemingly effortlessly. The similarities to Friday, especially in story structure, dull the film’s otherwise consistent creative flare in the final quarter but by then, I was already thoroughly taken with this. Bonus points for excellent use of Katt Williams and Lil Rel Howery.

Eric: V For Vendetta (2005): Revisited this on 4K, which has the worst looking 4K cover of all time, it's just bald Natalie Portman. Not even a shot of her from the film but some weird photoshop slop. Guess they don't want people running around in Guy Fawkes masks again. I was always so-so on this movie and kinda still am, but it really does have its moments. Anyway, here's a glimpse of the future.

The Boxer’s Omen (1983): Really insane movie and worth it if you want some crazy visuals with your kung fu. I just can't sanction the vomit eating scenes. We get it, puke's a thing you can "re-eat." I just didn't need to see it 5 times. A good lesson in less in more.

Mr. No Legs (1978): He runs a crime organization. He has a wheelchair with guns built into it. Kinda wanted this to amp it up more, it felt pretty tame given the premise. That said, it definitely has its charms, such as when the titular character uses his torso as a stump to beat people up. 

Sudden Death (1995): I somehow never saw this JCVD until now. People request this all the time. Gotta say, I wasn't taken away by it. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for it or maybe it just made me think how there are like, 10 JCVD movies better than this. Die Hard at a hockey game, I guess. Powers Boothe was great to see though.

Nighthawks (1981): I dug this. Stallone cop movie but he looks really small here. Maybe it's the glasses and weird beard? But he looks tiny! Really great early-80's NYC photography. Billy Dee Williams! And Rutger Hauer as a terrorist who gets facial surgeries to change appearances. Not the best movie, but not a bad way to kill an afternoon.

Miami Vendetta (1987): A cop from LA goes to Miami to take down Cuban drug runners. Shot on video and it shows. Would've been better if it didn't have terrible acting but it does feature dialogue like, "I'm in a tunnel as black as your asshole," so whaddya gonna do?

Steve: Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy: Oh, good god. I’ve only seen (probably) the first entry here, so maybe I’m missing something, but isn’t this series supposed to be funny? I don’t understand the legacy sequel trend of going incredibly maudlin and morose. I understand it in cases like Ghostbusters when a major lead actually dies and you need to address it, but here, Colin Firth is IN THE DAMN MOVIE AS A GHOST. So why bother bringing everyone down like this? Also, it’s overly long, we all know the British kid from The White Lotus is sexy and all, but if the point is for her to get with Chiwetel Ejiofor, maybe give that dude more than four scenes? Please skip.

A Simple Plan: Somehow missed this when it came out and it’s one of those movies you always hear mentioned as an underrated gem. I am here to join that chorus. It’s an absolute treat to watch Billy Bob Thornton and Bill Paxton work together, their Of Mice and Men routine is pitch-perfect with each man commanding the screen in their own way. Also, some superb turns from Bridget Fonda, Chelcie Ross, and a sneering, scene-stealing Brent Briscoe. This is a rare, stripped-down mode for Raimi but he excels here, heightening the tension, positioning his actors to succeed, and capturing the barren, snowy emptiness of rural Minnesota. Also? Probably a top ten shotgun death in all of cinema.

Auto Focus: I saw this on Valentine’s Day with my wife (don’t laugh!) at The Anthology Film Archive, and hot damn this movie held-up a lot better than I thought it would. I’ve been catching up on Schrader and the fact that this has to be in his top 5 really says something. He has a lot of fun with the period detail, but doesn’t beat you over the head with it, he lets it sit as the background. Very reminiscent of how Matthew Weiner would treat the same period in Mad Men a bit later. Greg Kinnear is absolutely at his apex here, his toothy, sweaty affability has never been put to better use than capturing Bob Crane. Willem Dafoe’s John “Carpy” Carpenter is a creature you would expect to find under a rock in the woods, but also startlingly human at the same time. I worry that Willem is a little over-exposed these days and in danger of going the route of late-period Christopher Walken. Just doing a lot of work and some of it cartoonish exaggerations of his former characters, so it’s nice to revisit a performance of his that still feels fresh and new.  

PATREON MAILBAG LIGHTNING ROUND

Here's a fun space where folks on Patreon get to ask us Questions directly. This month's entry comes from

Mark (a proud ticket holder for the Oxford Comedy fest in June), from the UK who asks: “With the wild deaths featured in Oz Perkins' The Monkey, what do the gang consider their favourite/most satisfying movie death?”

Andrew: First of all, Mark in the UK, well done on snagging tickets to our residency at the Oxford Comedy Festival! Hell yeah, man. Anyway, most satisfying movie death?  Well, one of my favorites is when Auric Goldfinger gets sucked out of the plane at the end of his titular tangle with Bond. It’s unexpected, painfully violent, and absolutely hilarious. Another hyper-satisfying cinema death is the offing of obnoxious Shelly in Friday the 13th Part 3D. He’s one of the biggest, most pathetic wieners in slasher cinema and when he finally eats shit, you feel like you can breathe again!

Chris Damn, that’s a good one. Your instinct is to go for horror since it has a monopoly on creative ends but the most satisfying death would inevitably have to come from a story that involved you emotionally beyond the point of “Yay! Bad Guy Dead!” The Judge being turned into a green-yellow puddle at the end of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is still quite satisfying on the 20th or so go around with that film. On the other hand, despite it being quite basic, the wave of relief that washes over you when Dwight Yoakam puts one right in Jared Leto’s temple without hesitation in Panic Room is massive. There are too many Shaw Brothers volumes featuring a sadistic gang leader or temple master getting owned to the bone by ass-punting visionary upstarts to mention. In the end, however, I must return to my aforementioned favorite: Stephen Dorff turning into an enormous blood clot after Blade kicks those super-syringes into him. Glorious.

Eric: The ending of MacGruber where Will Forte blows up Val Kilmer and pisses on his smoldering remains. That's my number 1. 

Steve: Ooh, favorite and satisfying might be two different answers, Mark. I’m a sucker for a falling death (double points if a dummy is used), so I absolutely adore Jeremy Piven getting thrown off a roof in Judgment Night, my brother and I would stop and watch just that part on cable whenever it came up, which was a lot. Satisfying? I’d be hard pressed to find someone who meets their deservedly horrible end better than Polly Holliday’s Mrs. Deagle from Gremlins. It’s kind of like that I Think You Should Leave sketch, where Tim Robinson sees the pig but thinks it’s a monster for just one second and it makes him change his whole way of life? Imagine that, but it’s REAL monsters that do exist in this world, and they’re in your house, fucking with your stair climber and launching you into the cold, you mean, mean old lady. Ten stars.

MARCH SCHEDULE

Say what? The schedule in advance?! It's the least we could do! By subscribing to this newsletter, you get a sneak peek at what and when we're putting out for Listener Request Month!

March 4th – Link (1986)  

March 11th – 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag

March 18th – A Low Down Dirty Shame

March 25th – Wish Upon (2017)

Patreon Episodes:

March 6th -- We Love Movies – In The Line of Fire

March 13th -- MELR0210: 90210: “Parental Guidance Recommended” (s3, e20) Melrose Place: “Non-Sexual Healing” (s3, e5)

March 20th -- Animation Damnation: Daria: “Depth Takes a Holiday” (s3, e4)

March 21st -- Gleep Glossary: Malakili, The Rancor Keeper

March 27th -- The Nexus: Deep Space Nine “Fascination" (s3, e10) /  Deep Space Nine: "The Visitor" (s4, e2)

March 28th – The Gamementary

Image Credit: Gamementary Image by Felipe Sobreiro

PATREON RSS BUG

If you’re having trouble with the RSS feed updating or episodes not appearing in your app, Patreon has acknowledged this bug and they have a fix: "Try unsubscribing and re-subscribing via your app by re-entering the unique RSS feed you were given and is on our Overview section of the Creator page. Or try using a different podcast app or RSS feed reader." 

Please consult this page and contact Patreon Support if the problem persists. We apologize for any inconvenience you’ve experienced on Patreon and truly appreciate your continued support!

UPCOMING NEWS AND PROMOTION

On Screen Live continues to rule! We’re taking a small break at the beginning of March for SXSW, but we’ll be back to break down Box Office Numbers, TV Movies, and the rest of it on a somewhat weekly basis. Check us out on Mondays at noon/et for all that and more! Subscribe on our YouTube Channel to never miss a broadcast!

We also have all officially sanctioned VHS Trailer Game episodes up to this point. Eric has also put out great clip packages like WTF Exorcism with Marc Merrin, Dr. Loomis is the Worst Doctor, Dilf Den, George Bailey as Michael Meyers, John Wick-Mentary,  Toby Jones in Bee Movie, Sausage Claus, David!Muppet Hitchcock Presents, and many more! You can also watch the entirety of our Witchboardepisode! Complete with visual gags (most of which are almost funny.). You'll find all sorts of cool shit like Mailbags, VHS Trailer Games, Full Episodes like Rampage (2018),Any Which Way You Can, Bram Stoker’s Draculaand Saw III. Like we said above these are great for sharing and introducing folks to the show. There's so much content there we can't list it all here. Just go and subscribe already! 

Please note that from now until at least the end of 2025, ALL PROFITS from our Tee Public store will be going directly to the Center for Reproductive rights! Shit’s bad out there and we know it’s likely to get worse and we want to do something,  SO, If you're a fan of the show and a fan of looking sharp, you should check out our merch on our TeePublic store! We have some hot off the presses designs by Felipe Sobreiro such as the Scream 4 Live Show, Too Old For This Shit and Sheenpril Logos as well as A Certain Fat Director enjoying his favorite film filter of all time! We also have "The DILF Den", and a "Crispy Critters" design from friend of the show, Nathan Hamill!  There’s a ton of other great designs like The VHS Trailer Game Logo, Demon-o's Pizza, Egg Lawyer, The Order of the Boop, The Kornkast design and many more, with more to come!  

That's going to do it for this month's Dispatch! Have a great month and enjoy all the LRM shows! 

 
Take it easy,
Andrew, Chris, Eric, and Steve
We Hate Movies