Shows
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 55: Weekend at Bernie's II and Bottom Five IslandsMike sends Jay back to the beaches of 1993 with Weekend at Bernie’s II, the definition of an unnecessary sequel that doubles down on absurdity by giving everyone’s favorite dead guy a tropical vacation, a voodoo curse, and an uncanny ability to boogie. Will Jay find the sun-soaked slapstick charming, or will Bernie’s reanimated antics leave them washed ashore in cinematic despair? After the main review, the guys island-hop through their Bottom Five Islands, a countdown of movie atolls, sand traps, and forgotten rocks that prove not all paradise is worth visiting. Then, it’s time for another...
2025-08-1700 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 54: Superman IV: The Quest for Peace and Bottom Five Super PowersAs the 2025 version of Superman cleans up at the global box office, Jay sends Mike to 1987 to watch the most maligned version of "the man of steel" this side of anything Zack Snyder touched. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace was Christopher Reeve's final screen outing as the character which began with the largely beloved '78 Superman. Will their respect for the actor's undeniable skill and charisma withstand a movie featuring "Nuclear Man" as its main villain? Find out in Mike's main review and then stick around as the guys count down their Bottom Five Super Powers, a list...
2025-08-0359 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 53: Deep Rising and Bottom 5 Unintentional Porn TitlesAfter years of slapping Jay with a cinematic tortilla the size of a cruise ship, Mike shows mercy and assigns Jay a Filmjitsu-team favorite... set on a cruise ship. On paper, there's no way 1998's "Deep Rising" could earn a positive review, for not only does it have a title that makes filmgoers do a double-take, but it also has Treat Williams as the headliner and is directed by the guy responsible for "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra." But in a "hear me out" for the ages, Jay—and Mike—explain why "Deep Rising," and indeed all b-mo...
2025-07-2000 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 52: Left Behind and Bottom 5 Nicolas Cage PerformancesJay tests Mike's faith in, well... anything, by forcing him to watch the 2014 bargain basement Bible blip, "Left Behind" in which Nicolas Cage navigates both a plane and the apocalypse while trying desperately to keep a straight face. Piles of clothes and dime-store special effects abound, but was Mike embraced in a freeing, heavenly light or just left with an eternal laundry list? Find out during the main review and then stick around while the guys list off their Bottom Five Nicolas Cage performance, an array of eccentric on-screen (and perhaps imagined?) roles that the award-winning, much-adored actor simply...
2025-07-0600 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 51: The Garbage Pail Kids Movie and Bottom Five BulliesAfter the latest "Sophie's Choice" listener poll crowned The Garbage Pail Kids Movie as the next cinematic abomination Jay must endure, Mike's laughter is only slightly less annoying than the fart-propelled, snot-faced, uncanny valley horrors on display in the film. Did Jay find the movie as upsetting as its reputation suggests? Find out by having a listen to the main review and stick around as the guys count down their Bottom Five Bullies, honoring the worst tormentors ever to terrorize movie screens. They also crack open the mailbag to catch up on listener feedback before Jay reveals what fresh...
2025-06-2200 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 50: Y2k and Bottom Five Period PiecesIn this week's episode, Jay sends Mike back to 1999 with A24’s Y2K, a horror-comedy hybrid stuffed with glow sticks, AOL CDs, and the crushing weight of secondhand embarrassment. After Mike tries to make sense of weaponized nostalgia, teenage idiocy, and killer iMacs the guys count down their Bottom Five Period Pieces—a list of historical misfires and anachronistic abominations. Then, they battle in a game of Dueling Double Bills, where two surprise titles must be paired with perfect (or perfectly bad) companion films. Finally, Mike gets his revenge by announcing the next movie Jay will have to endu...
2025-06-0800 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 49: Sushi Girl and Bottom Five MealsJay takes a seat at the world’s most uncomfortable dinner party courtesy of Mike’s latest cinematic punishment: Sushi Girl (2012), a post-Tarantino crime flick where the tension is raw, the violence is extra crispy, and the titular sushi girl lies perfectly still while a bunch of washed-up crooks yell at each other in between flashbacks. Mark Hamill wonderfully hams it up, Tony Todd tries to class up the joint, and somewhere in the middle a rogue's gallery of B-movie/slumming A-list stars arrive; including Michael Biehn, Danny Trejo, Sonny Chiba, Jeff Fahey and Noah Hathaway, the now all-grown-up guy...
2025-05-2559 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 48: Coyote Ugly and Bottom Five NeedledropsJay sends Mike boot-scootin’ straight into the tequila-soaked hellscape of Coyote Ugly (2000)—a movie where dreams are big, tank tops are small, and apparently all of life’s problems can be solved with a gratuitous bar-top dance number. Was egregious cinematic leering over Piper Perabo, Tyra Banks, Maria Bello and Bridget Moynahan enough to help Mike endure the twangy torment of this feature-length soundtrack commercial? The guys will answer that and ponder many other existential questions, such as "who cleans up this alcohol-drenched and glass-littered horror show of a bar each night?" After the main review, the guys pull out th...
2025-05-1100 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 47: Rumpelstiltskin and Bottom Five NamesIn the latest episode of the podcast that wields films like deadly weapons, Mike drags Jay kicking and screaming into the twisted world of Rumpelstiltskin (1995)—a movie that asks the bold question, “What if a goblin got loose in 1990s Los Angeles and immediately learned to drive stick shift?” Between the boundlessly illogical plotting, endless baby screaming, and an ancient curse powered by hammy one-liners, the guys do their best to articulate a cinematic experience that feels less like a fairy tale and more like a cousin to Tommy Wiseau's The Room. After that, Jay and Mike count down their...
2025-04-2759 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 46: Gonks Go Beat and Bottom 5 British CharactersIf nothing else, after listening to this episode of the podcast that wields films like deadly weapons, you'll wonder what Mike is still wondering: "What the fiznuck is a Gonk?!?" Indeed, what is a Gonk and why, in this 1965 concert film disguised as a sci-fi movie, do they go Beat? Jay had no idea when he assigned Gonks Go Beat for Mike to endure this week, but do either of the guys know now? Perhaps or perhaps not, but what they do know is their list of Bottom Five British Characters, a collection of across-the-pond d-bags that explain the...
2025-04-1300 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsRedux Part 1: The Alien CollectionRealizing that the basic formula of Filmjitsu is all wrong and that no one cares about terrible movies, Mike and Jay were removed by the powers that be and a new version of the show starts today! Welcome two new, younger, smarter, more handsome and less profane hosts who have turned the show into one dedicated to... good movies? In this episode, the podcast's new hosts, Jaytu and Dee, dive deep into the entire Alien movie series, ranking the films from favorite to least favorite while discussing themes and motifs of the universe along the way. If you're a...
2025-03-3047 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 45: The Crow - Wicked Prayer and Bottom 5 Direct-to-Video TitlesIn the latest episode of the podcast that wields films like deadly weapons, Mike pulls out a Geneva-Convention-breaking offensive attack with 2005's The Crow - Wicked Prayer, the fourth movie in the original run of the "Crow" franchise starring Filmjitsu favorite, Eddie Furlong as a ghostly avenger in sad clown makeup. Jay dutiful reviews the film, trying to make sense of how it simultaneously has so much and so little on its mind and then the guys list off their "Bottom Dive Direct-to-Video Titles" in honor of all those movies, like this "Wicked Prayer," that didn't make it to...
2025-03-1600 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 44: Cool as Ice and Bottom 5 Musicians Acting in FilmEver wonder what happened to Vanilla Ice, the white-boy hip-hop "artist" who for a brief, horrifying moment, was the best-selling hip-hop act in the world? Yeah, well, neither did Mike, but thanks to Jay, he's been forced to wade through "Rap-Era Elvis" lore by watching Cool as Ice—a 90s time capsule that should have stayed buried. Can the guys have a compelling discussion about a film that all agree should have been left in the past alongside Z. Cavarrici pants and I.O.U. sweatshirts? It's tough work, but the main review leads to an inspired countdown of th...
2025-03-0200 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 43: Return to Oz and Bottom 5 Childhood Movie TraumasIn what Jay has claimed is the episode with "the best bottom five we've ever done," the guys tackle the often-maligned sequel to "The Wizard of Oz," 1985's "Return to Oz," starring Fairuza Balk in a vision of the Emerald City that gave most Gen-X kids recurring nightmares. Assigned by Mike, will Jay's viewing of this movie surface long repressed horrors from childhood? Well, if it doesn't, then both of our intrepid hosts listing off their bottom five child movie traumas most assuredly will have someone curling into a fetal position. When Mike screams "What in the name of...
2025-02-1659 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 42: Beverly Hills Cop 3 and Bottom 5 Eddie Murphy PerformancesIn this episode, the guys perform a Filmjitsu first, dedicating most of a show to a single Hollywood star when Jay slaps Mike with a sequel so bad it derailed a franchise for thirty years! But despite the movie being too little of a comedy to be funny and too little of an action flick to provide any thrills, "Beverly Hills Cop 3" is the perfect launchpad to discuss the career of Eddie Murphy (while also touching on the tailspin of director John Landis's career). In counting off their "Bottom 5 Eddie Murphy Performances," the guys observe the highs and unfathomable...
2025-02-0200 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 41: Thumb Wars & Bat Thumb and Bottom 5 Movie GimmicksThere are two guys that host Filmjitsu, and despite the fact they regularly bludgeon one another with cinematic munitions, one nearly took on so much damage with this episode that the war of the worst nearly ended. Find out how two of Steve Odekirk's "Thumbation" movies—"Thumb Wars: The Phantom Cuticle" and "Bat Thumb"—somehow managed to, despite very short runtimes, drive one host to audibly drink away his pain whilst recording (stick around for the outtake). And if that's not enough, the guys go on to list their Bottom Five Movie Gimmicks which are cinematic tricks and ideas that...
2025-01-1959 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weapons2024 "'Jitsu Awards" Year-in-Review Special and Bottom Five Movies Watched in 2024Happy New Year, all you bad-movie enthusiasts! In celebration of the past 12-months during which the guys watched 25 mostly wretched flicks for the show, Mike and Jay are taking their second annual look back at last year's movie viewing highpoints - no matter how few and far between they may have been - and handing out the 2024 'Jitsu Awards for those moments and talents that made their main reviews bearable. Who will win the nine awards on deck, which include the usual acting and filmmaking categories as well as Best Stunt, Best Love Scene and Best Death Scene? Don't...
2025-01-051h 03
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weapons2024 Holiday Special: Red One and Bottom Five Secret OrganizationsHappy Holidays, ya bleedin' E-jits! Filmjitsu, your favorite bad movie podcast, is celebrating a few days off from work with... The Rock, Captain America, Joan Watson and J. Jonah Jameson? Yeah, while it was only in theaters for as long as if takes Santa to down a plate of cookies, Mike and Jay somehow managed to catch the Amazon Studios mega-budget action-comedy-Christmas flick, "Red One," a critically-lambasted mishmash of a "...Has Fallen" movie with, well, "Elf?" Did the guys get the coal they expected in their stockings, or was there a Christmas miracle that led to them liking the...
2024-12-2200 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 40: Pretty Woman and Bottom 5 Beloved FilmsWhen Jay unleashed 1990's much-loved "Pretty Woman" on Mike, he knew they'd be in for a discussion that might get them in hot water with the millions upon millions of viewers that label the romantic comedy a "classic." There aren't many movies that have appeared on the show that were, at the time of their release, NUMBER FIVE in the list of all-time box office earners. And yet here the guys are, checking to see if one of the most iconic love stories cinema has ever served up is actually... any good? If that's not a bold enough move...
2024-12-0800 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 39: ThanksKilling and Bottom 5 High Concept FilmsIn light of this week bringing us a holiday centered around feeling grateful and counting the many blessings in life, Mike sets the Thanksgiving table for Jay with a real cinematic turkey: ThanksKilling, a festive holiday offering filled with raunchy comedy and dime-store gore! More nap-inducing than tryptophan, but infinitely worse for one's health, Jay scarfs down helping after helping of the misadventures of a reanimated killer turkey before the guys move onto an inspired second course—their bottom five High Concept Films. This list of elevator pitches gone wrong is bound to leave a bad taste behind, so Mi...
2024-11-2459 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 38: 9 Lives (2016) and Bottom 5 Kids FilmsAs Filmjitsu exits the 2024 Halloween season and returns to its normal programming, Jay lands a cinematic haymaker by forcing Mike to watch 2016's "9 Lives," a dreadful children's film in which Christopher Walken turns Kevin Spacey into a cat who has to learn how to poop in a litter box or... become a better dad. Amazingly, this was made BEFORE Spacey became a Hollywood pariah, the circumstances of which the guys tackle head-on while wrestling with the age-old question "Can we separate the artist from the art?" But before everything gets too heady, they get back to business by counting...
2024-11-1059 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weapons2024 Halloween Super Special Part 2: David Gordon Green's Halloween (2018) Trilogy with JT Santo and Bottom Five SlashersFilmjitsu wraps up its Halloween Season with the most Halloween of Halloween Episodes! If the past two special episodes spent interviewing Filmspotting's Josh Larsen about his new horror genre book and dissecting "Skinamarink" with filmmaker Dane Elcar weren't enough for you, the guys overdose on October vibes by tackling ALL THREE of David Gordon Green's "Halloween" movies in another super-sized episode! How does Michael Myers fare in these canon-busting sequels to John Carpenter's 1977 slasher classic? Probably better than Mike and Jay, who were so daunted by the task of watching these flicks that they enlisted another special guest: Jay's...
2024-10-271h 35
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weapons2024 Halloween Super Special: Skinamarink and Bottom 5 Patience Testers with Brightwood Writer, Director Dane ElcarHappy Spooky Season, Filmjitsu listeners! Following on the heels of the guys interviewing Filmspotting's Josh Larsen about his in-depth look at the horror genre, Mike and Jay again invited filmmaker Dane Elcar ("Brightwood") to join in on the holiday fun! The result? A super-sized discussion about the polarizing art-horror film, "Skinamarink." What will the three scary-movie enthusiasts think of this grainy, non-narrative mood-piece? Perhaps the episode's bottom five will lend a hint, as after the main review, the guys count down their Bottom Five Patience Testers- movies that have you watching the time more than the screen. Do you...
2024-10-131h 26
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsInterview 4: Josh Larsen, Author, “Fear Not,” Film Critic - Filmspotting and Think ChristianAs it's Spooky Season, Mike and Jay recorded this bonus episode: a horror-themed interview with film critic Josh Larsen, best known as the co-host of the stellar film podcast "Filmspotting." Josh and the guys discuss his latest book, Fear Not! A Christian Appreciation of Horror Movies, touching upon matters of faith while also considering the redemptive - and not-so-redemptive - aspects of the genre. Why would a devout Christian watch (and love) movies like "The Shining," "Us," and "The Blair Witch Project?" Josh answers this question while weighing in on what he believes are universal aspects behind the effectiveness...
2024-10-0642 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 37: Ballistic: Ecks Vs. Sever and Bottom 5 Box-Office BombsOn this week's episode of the podcast that wields films like deadly weapons, Mike and Jay bring a nuclear arsenal of big budget failures, first by tackling "Ballistic: Ecks Vs. Sever" during the main review and then tallying their bottom five Box-Office Bombs. How big of a quality-crater does the infamous Lucy Liu-Antonio Banderas actioner leave when compared to the other megaton failures the guys have suffered through? Find out by giving the show a listen, then stick around as our intrepid hosts play an inverted game of Kick-Two, Pick-Two where four terrible movies are listed and they are...
2024-09-2959 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 36: Runaway and Bottom 5 MustachesFor this episode, things get hairy... (literally?) with Jay hurling Mike into the far-flung future of... 1991? By reviewing the Tom Selleck/Michael Crichton sci-fi team-up that is 1982's "Runaway," the guys embark on a thoughtful look back (and forward), at one point discussing how technology was predicted to have evolved and how it actually evolved. But before things get too heady, they quickly return to their usual foolishness, comparing their choices for bottom five mustaches in honor of the iconic soup-strainer Tom Selleck is best-known for. And if a list of 10 bad cinematic cookie-dusters isn't enough, Mike and Jay...
2024-09-1559 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 35: From Justin to Kelly and Bottom 5 PartiesAs Filmjitsu Summer comes to an end, Mike delivers to Jay the cinematic C-4 explosive that is 2003's "From Justin to Kelly" starring Kelly Clarkson, thankfully in her first - and only - lead acting role. Stepping from the ashes of his lost summer watching horrendous dreck, Jay dutifully reviews this "musical romantic comedy" and manages to say some nice things, which is a bit like living through a blitzkrieg and complimenting the enemy for pretty-colored fireballs. Following the review, Mike and Jay offer their bottom five parties from movies and then play a popstar-filled game of Kick-Two, Pick-Two...
2024-09-0159 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsInterview 3: Virgil Cardamone - Mahoning Drive-in partner, film booker, curator & publicity directorIn this special interview episode, Mike took a journey to one of his favorite places on Earth: Lehighton, Pennsylvania, home to the much-loved Mahoning Drive-in Theatre. This last-of-its-kind, old-school site is one of the only places in the United States where you can sit under the stars, munch on a bucket of popcorn and watch 35mm prints of classic films from decade's past on a huge screen. Virgil Cardamone, the drive-in's film booker, curator and publicity director, is among a handful of employees at this blast-from-the-past, and in a soulful, wide-ranging interview with Mike, he explains the Mahoning's history...
2024-08-2541 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 34: Twisters and Bottom 5 Guilty PleasuresIn this special episode of Filmjitsu, Jay and Mike record from the parking lot of the cinema after watching Lee Isaac Chung's "Twisters," a sequel of sorts to the much-loved popcorn flick, 1996's "Twister." Is pluralizing the original, charming, stand-alone disaster film and turning it into a franchise anything but a cash grab? The guys answer this from the confines of a 100° car and are joined by a special guest during their review! After that. grab onto something and get ready for a bumpy ride into a vortex of personal shame as your intrepid cinematic dualists return to the s...
2024-08-1859 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 33: Gunpowder Milkshake and Bottom 5 Gun ScenesJay tosses Mike an unloaded pistol in a cinematic firefight with 2021's "Gunpowder Milkshake," a CGI-stuffed, Netflix-distributed, fox-force-five-riff that gathers an astonishingly great cast and wastes them on bad fight choreography and a foolish plot. As part of their discussion, they tackle the pros and cons of both the film and the genre it represents; ultra-stylized, violent, neo-noir flicks like "John Wick," "Bad Times at the El Royale" and "Atomic Blonde," which Jay calls "Neon Gun Fables." Following the theme of these types of movies, the guys list off their Bottom 5 Gun Scenes and then engage in a bullet-ridden...
2024-08-0400 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 32: Jaws The Revenge and Bottom 5 Fourth InstallmentsIf Filmjitsu is the podcast that wields movies like deadly weapons, Mike pulls out a cinematic neutron bomb when he forces Jay to watch and review, "Jaws The Revenge," the final sequel of the "Jaws" franchise that somehow manages to be simultaneously forgotten and a notorious flop. "Jaws 4" lives as a perfect example of this episode's Bottom 5 Fourth Installments list where the guys tally their least-favorite fourth movies in a variety of series. After debating the merits (and mere existence?) of the likes of "Alien: Resurrection" and "Vegas Vacation," Jay and Mike play a Summer Blockbuster-themed game of Kick...
2024-07-2159 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 31: Speed 2 - Cruise Control and Bottom 5 ReplacementsPut on your life jacket because Mike and Jay continue with their summer-themed cinematic torture showcase with the 1997 debacle that is "Speed 2 - Cruise Control!" Mike weaves and bobs through his review of this sequel no one asked for with all the dexterity of an ocean liner controlled by Willem Dafoe while Jay laughs madly like the studio executive who greenlit this mess, his dreams of mad bank replaced by the reality that Jason Patric is no Keaunu Reeves. After the second-speed main review, the guys list off their bottom five "replacements," actors or characters in movies that replace...
2024-07-0759 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 30: Blood Beach and Bottom 5 Beach ScenesIt's hot FIlmjitsu summer, and the guys are kicking it off with Mike making Jay watch 1980's "Blood Beach," a horror film that goes the bold route of blending the genre with... a dry police procedural? If a beach that eats people isn't your idea of a day in the sun, don't worry, the guys brought sunscreen and an umbrella as they count off their bottom five beach scenes! Finally, they chase that bit of summertime fun with a game of Kick Two, Pick Two where four classic, summer-set films go into the ring with only two allowed to...
2024-06-2359 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 29: The Fanatic and Bottom 5 ObsessionsJay pummels Mike with the most painful cinematic weapon he's deployed yet: the 2019, Fred Durst written-and-directed disaster, "The Fanatic." A slog of a thriller that finds John Travolta playing an autistic man named Moose who is obsessed with a mid-tier celebrity, the guys try to understand why this thing even got made and discover... a Red Box connection? After reacting to Durst's direction and Travolta's haircut, they next count down their bottom five obsessions from movies and then play one of the most random games of Kick-Two, Pick-Two ever. where two of the four titles currently "Back at the...
2024-06-0959 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 28: The Room (2003) and Bottom 5 ChoicesWell, it's happened. The listeners have spoken and for Filmjitsu's first "Sophie's Choice" poll of its modern era, the winner - which Jay had to watch and review - was Tommy Wiseau's 2003 so-bad-it's-good cult-classic, "The Room." The victor "tore apart" John Travolta's "Battlefield Earth" in its head-to-head match-up, but the bigger question is, will the guys be able to say anything that hasn't already been said about this sex-scene-filled, football-in-tuxedos, jogging-in-San-Fran affair? They try, and then follow-up the main review with their list of bottom five choices, which occur both inside and outside the world of their movies, before...
2024-05-2659 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 27: Mamma Mia! and Bottom 5 Cringe MomentsIn celebration of Mother's Day, Mike and Jay launch into a full-on, earnest review of the 2008 jukebox musical "Mamma Mia!" With a star-studded cast that includes Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski and Dame Julie Walters - as well as a few dudes with the last names Firth, Skarsgard and Brosnan - the movie concerns a bride-to-be on the eve of her wedding in a stunning Greek archipelago who invites three men to her wedding, one of whom is likely her father. Hijinx ensue, all set, for reasons unknown, to toe-tapping pop classics by the Swedish super-ground, ABBA, and...
2024-05-1259 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsInterview 2: Richard and Anastasia Elfman - Writer/Director and Producer/Star, Bloody BridgetIn this bonus interview episode, Mike and Jay jumped at the chance to speak with cult movie writer-director Richard Elfman ("Forbidden Zone") and his wife, actress and producer Anastasia Elfman, about their wacky, hilarious, gory and musical new film "Bloody Bridget." The film follows a murdered dancer who in the afterlife discovers she's a vengeful Celtic goddess with an insatiable hunger for human hearts. This leads to a gleeful murder-spree as the Valentine Vampire that's covered-up by her best friend, a gay, mute, Dominican dancer named Pepe and her lawyers. the yarmulke-wearing father-son lawyer team of Dershowitz & Dershowitz. "Bloody...
2024-05-1153 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 26: Men and Bottom 5 TransformationsTonight... on a very special episode of Filmjitsu, the guys grapple with their roles in the patriarchy after being exposed to the dangers of Alex Garland's largely-acclaimed 2022 gross-out think-piece, "Men." Will Jay ever be the same? Will Mike? Fortunately, these two clowns somehow are avowed feminists so... yeah, they might get down with the messaging of the film, even while suppressing urges to barf. They follow their wide-ranging, likely way-too-serious discussion with a sloppy and gross chat about their bottom five transformations before playing an equally moist game of Kick Two, Pick Two: Body Horror edition. MOIST. Ugh. What...
2024-04-2859 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 25: King Kong (1976) and Bottom 5 Dangerous AnimalsWhile the MonsterVerse has brought Kong back to movie screens, never was the big ape been quite as... horny... as he was in 1976's "King Kong!" And who could blame him because, well, Jessica Lange in her film debut is, as Mike puts it, "a smokeshow." But was Mike able to find anything else to like in this Dino De Laurentiis-produced big-budget epic rife with bad, yet-somehow-Oscar-winning, special effects? Or is this episode just Jay cackling whilst drinking Mike's tears, shed at the feet of another of Mike's favorite actors - Jeff Bridges - as he makes a terrible...
2024-04-1459 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 24: Repo! The Genetic Opera and Bottom Five Musical NumbersLeave it to the guys at FIlmjitsu to celebrate Easter and the renewal of Spring by reviewing a movie about organ harvesting! Having nothing to do with bunnies, eggs, baskets, or certainly anything that Jesus Christ would have died for, 2008's "Repo! The Genetic Opera" is a cinematic weapon that delivers more pain than crucifixion! As Mike cackles at the horror wrought, Jay attempts to limit the number of expletives to describe this musical from the "Saw" franchise's MVP, Darren Lynn Bousman, but likely fails. The guys then recount their Bottom Five Musical Numbers which include entries as varied...
2024-03-3159 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 23: The Disappointments Room and Bottom 5 RoomsDespite an 86-minute run-time, the Rotten Tomatoes 0% fresh-rated "The Disappointments Room" took so long for Mike to watch that we're pretty sure he's still locked in his own hidden loft where the only way out is to find one redeeming thing to say about the Kate Beckinsale-starring mystery-thriller. Meanwhile, Jay provides color-commentary on the career of director D.J. Caruso before the guys get into their bottom five rooms in movies, a concept that may seem less creative than it actually is, considering the directions they take their picks. After that, they keep with the theme of disappointments with...
2024-03-1759 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 22: Hardcore Henry and Bottom 5 BirthdaysEver wonder what it's like to be the protagonist in a relentless, balls-to-the-wall action flick? Jay never did either! But Mike decided to make him watch "Hardcore Henry" anyhow. How did this 2015 low-budget first-person POV feature from director Ilya Naishuller ("Nobody") fare on review? Jay recounts plenty of blood, gore and exhaustion before the guys move on to their lists of Bottom Five Birthdays from movies because in "Harcore Henry," the protagonist... oh never mind. This episode's Bottom Five has nothing to do with the main review and instead everything to do with Mike who celebrates a birthday on...
2024-03-0359 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 21: The Avengers (1998) and Bottom 5 AgentsJay drops a tornado-and-hurricane-fueled nuclear weapon of a flick onto Mike with 1998's "The Avengers," a startlingly slap-dash big-budget flop starring Ralph Fiennes, Uma Thurman and THE Sean Connery in a role that likely had a lot to do with his decision to retire from acting. The guys delve into the history of this bad-weather cinematic oddity-cum-remake-of-a-1960's British tv-show and try to unpack whether it's as bad as it's staggering number of Razzie Award nominations would suggest. After that, Mike and Jay list off their bottom five agents and play a great game for any rainy day, Kick-Two...
2024-02-1859 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 20: Bratz and Bottom 5 TeachersMike brings out the cinematic equivalent of a katana to this week's episode with "Bratz," the 2007 young-adult(?) comedy/drama/toy tie-in that cuts deep with a sugary but very conservative mix of idealized teenage life and "acceptable" "cultural" and "feminine" "individualism." Can Jay survive this wholesome, hyper-cut mess? The blood-loss is real, but the guys manage to struggle through their list of bottom five teachers before tackling a round of Kick-Two, Pick Two that's aptly connected to the main review in a rather bratty(pack) way!
2024-02-0459 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 19: Glen or Glenda and Bottom 5 Misleading MarqueesMike and Jay return to the usual Filmjitsu format with Jay hurling the grenade that is 1953's "Glen or Glena," the notorious Edward D, Wood, Jr. picture that revels in the pleasures of angora and monotonous narration. Is this a prescient look into gender identity, a lurid sensationalist cash-grab or simply inept filmmaking at its worst? The guys try to answer all this while also dealing with the presence of a seemingly stoned Bela Lugosi, whose top-billing in the film sets up the guys' bottom five misleading marquees. This list of the worst examples of cinematic bait-and-switch, where posters...
2024-01-2100 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weapons2023 "'Jitsu Awards" Year-in-Review Special and Bottom Five Filmjitsu MomentsLooking back at their first year of watching horrible movies in this special year-end episode, Mike and Jay speak kindly(ish) about some of the 21 featured flicks wielded as deadly weapons in 2023, rewarding actors, filmmakers and artists with the inaugural "'Jitsu Awards." Who will get a case of "The 'Jits?" Well, not Mike or Jay themselves as they spend the Bottom Five segment tearing themselves to pieces while recounting their Bottom Five Filmjitsu Moments, which may or may not include a deeply passionate discourse on the physics of leprechaun penis eruption. FIinally, the guys wrap-up 2023 by awarding the Best...
2024-01-0759 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weapons2023 Holiday Special: The Mean One and Bottom Five GiftsMike and Jay get into the spirit of the holiday season with Filmjitsu first: a movie both had to watch and review. That movie? "The Mean One," a 2022 horror parody of The Grin-... um... you know, who absconded with that one holiday there with the trees, gifts and, yeah, you know. After retelling their tale of yuletide suffering, the guys then list their bottom five gifts (or presents, because gifts was too hard to say) and square off an epic game of holiday Kick Two Pick Two. Will "Mupper Christmas Carol" make the cut, or will it end up...
2023-12-2459 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 18: Kids (1995) and Bottom 5 Kids in MoviesWhat happens when Mike reaches deep down into the bag of the most controversial films in cinema history and withdraws a weapon so oddly jagged and dangerous that it might kill both Jay AND Mike himself? You get a full review of Larry Clark's 1995 slice of New York City life, cinema verite, "Kids" with some very surprising conclusions drawn. And because the guys are nothing if not predictable, they follow-up with a discussion of their bottom five kids in movies before playing a lethal game of Kick-two, Pick-two involving way more than just the usual four movies. This episode...
2023-12-1059 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 17: Home Team and Bottom Five TeamsMike, after performing horribly in the annual bracket competition he helped create over at the Filmspotting podcast, is forced to watch "Home Team," a Happy Madison production that even Adam Sandler himself had the good sense to avoid. Jay's around to laugh at Mike's suffering, and then both share their bottom five movie teams which may or may not include flicks actually involving sports. Finally, the guys introduce a new segment to the show - "Kick Two, Pick Two," a debate where the merits of four thematically-linked films are counted out with the goal to keep only two, while...
2023-11-2659 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 16: Police Academy 4 - Citizens on Patrol and Bottom 5 CopsThe guys get back to business-as-usual following their three-episode trek into Halloween-season-horror, this time with Mike tasking Jay with viewing the fourth movie in the "Police Academy" saga: "Police Academy 4 - Citizens on Patrol." Plot-twist, Jay was a huge fan as a kid! Did his love of juvenile law-enforcement shenanigans carry on into adulthood? Listen for the answer, and for the guys' lists of bottom five movie cops which may or may not include a damning review of... "The Crying Game?"
2023-11-1259 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weapons2023 Halloween Special Part 3: Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday and Bottom 5 Horror FranchisesThe guys wrap-up the 2023 Halloween season with a third and final horror special! This time, Mike forces Jay to watch the ninth installment of the Jason Vorhees saga (which we're legally not supposed to call "Friday the 13th..." oops) and after weighing whether or not this is the worst of the Crystal Lake teen-slash-a-thons, our hapless heroes list off their bottom five horror franchises!
2023-10-3059 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weapons2023 Halloween Special Part 2: The Beyond and Bottom 5 Gore EffectsThe guys continue celebrating the 2023 Halloween season with the second of three special horror episodes! This week, Mike attempts to review Lucio Fulci's 1981 gore-fest, "The Beyond," which - more than any other film wielded as a deadly weapon by Jay - left a mark due to some scenes of eight-legged violence. Will Mike be able to speak intelligibly about this cinematic trauma and then go on to list of his bottom five gore effects? Or will this episode just be Jay on his own, discussing Italian film composers, bad special effects and announcing a search for a new co-host?
2023-10-1559 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weapons2023 Halloween Special Part 1: Thirteen Ghosts and Bottom 5 GhostsWe interrupt our regularly scheduled programming - sorry "Police Academy" fandom! - to bring you part 1 of 3 horror-themed episodes centered around the reason for the season, Halloween! In this episode, Mike blasts Jay with 2001's "Thirteen Ghosts," the Tony Shalhoub and Matthew Lillard-starring dumpster fire that provides more headaches than scares. The guys then follow up with their bottom five ghosts list which oddly include movies by such heavy hitters as Tim Burton, John Carpenter, Mike Flanagan and Peter Jackson!
2023-10-0159 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 15: Larger Than Life and Bottom 5 SidekicksJay forces Mike to address the elephant in the room, or more precisely the elephant in Bill Murray's career, by assigning 1996's "Larger Than Life" as this week's main review. Does Mike send this pachyderm packing, or does he have a pocketful of peanuts? (Maybe he's just happy to see us?) Regardless, the guys then argue through their list of bottom five sidekicks before offering up some questionable staff picks and revealing Mike's cinematic punishment that Jay will have to suffer through for our next episode.
2023-09-1859 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 14: Knight Rider 2000 and Bottom 5 CarsUnimaginably, Mike assigned a movie so terrible that it made Jay believe he'd rather be stuck in traffic. The movie? The failed pilot for the 1991 "Knight Rider" reboot: "Knight Rider 2000." With a convoluted plotline that mixes politics and mediocre muscle car stunts, "KR2K" - which is what all the cool kids call this one - is a special version of insipid blandness chock-full of bad science and worse acting. Luckily, the guys pump the breaks to allow some good movies to cross their path and their bottom five car lists save the day, as do a solid pair...
2023-09-0459 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 13: Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and Bottom 5 GodsMike boldly goes where he has never gone before in the fascinatingly awful fifth installment of the original Star Trek franchise, which leads to entirely too much giggling on Trekkie/Trekker Jay's part. The guys then count off their bottom five Gods, a listing of weak-sauce, evil and egocentric deities that's sure to cause a rumble or two of thunder. Will their houses still be standing by this episode's end? The only way to find out is to listen!
2023-08-2159 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 12: Brainscan and Bottom 5 GamesWhile Mike takes a blissful walk down memory lane recalling his early adolescent adoration of the 1994 cinematic abomination "Brainscan," Jay blubbers his way through a review of the movie, never quite leaving the fetal position caused by Eddie Furlong's acting. Can listing off their bottom-five games played in movies rebuild the guys' friendship, or was this act of Filmjitsu simply too deadly?!
2023-08-1659 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 11: I am a Ghost (w/A Ghost Story) and Bottom 5 No/Low-Budget MoviesIn this episode, Mike goes into the deep waters of no/low-budget cinema where Jay holds all the life-preservers. Will he sink or swim while tackling writer/director H.P. Mendoza's "I am a Ghost?" Also in the mix is David Lowry's "A Ghost Story" which was assigned by Jay as a bit of contextual extra-credit due to similarities between it and Mendoza's work. Have the guys discovered a weird case of homage or possible plagiarism? Find out the answer, as well as the guys' bottom five no/low-budget movies and a few staff picks that prove Mike and...
2023-07-2459 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 10: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Bottom 5 DiseasesAwards-bait isn't the usual kind of cinema Filmjitsu is known for, and films directed by David Fincher typically wouldn't be found around these parts either. Yet Mike shoves Jay in the curious path of "Benjamin Button" and as it turns out, yep, an Oscar-winner helmned by an A-list director can punish as well as grade-z trash. To double-down on the madness, the guys offer up their bottom five movie diseases, a list that includes films you'll expect and... a few you won't.
2023-07-1059 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 9: The Happytime Murders and Bottom 5 PuppetsAfter being tormented mercilessly by Mike with several crushing cinematic blows, Jay retaliates with a haymaker: Brian Henson's 2018 dirty-puppet movie, "The Happytime Murders." An uber-dud the likes of which few have ever seen, the guys try to rationalize why a movie like this even exists and then tally their bottom five puppets, which includes nods to the work of David Lynch, Peter Jackson, and... John Hughes?
2023-06-2659 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 8: Amityville 3-D and Bottom 5 HousesJay demonstrates the rule of diminishing returns when Mike challenges him to watch "Amityville 3-D," the tertiary installment of the enduring franchise that should have been put out of its misery after part two. The guys then go on to list their bottom five houses, a list that details cinematic homes they'd listen to when told to "GET OUT."
2023-06-1159 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 7: The Book of Henry and Bottom 5 Follow-upsThe guys go where no podcast should ever go, into the gaping maw of a tonally uneven whimsical-dramatic-comedy-thriller from Colin Trevorrow that may or may not have sunk the director's job as Star Wars Episode IX's director. As such, Mike and Jay produce a list of bottom five follow-ups featuring filmmakers who chased some of their greatest successes with some truly garbage next films. Coppola, Jackson, Reiner and Gilliam, we're looking at you!
2023-05-2959 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsInterview 1: Dane Elcar - Writer-director, BrightwoodIn this special episode, Mike and Jay interview guest Dane Elcar, the writer-director of the sci-fi-horror-drama "Brightwood" which has been making the rounds on the festival circuit. A mind-bending time-trip of a movie, "Brightwood" isn't the usual deadly-weapon fare featured on Filmjitsu and is instead a recommended indie that's sure to have viewers talking as the end credits roll. Its creator discusses the making of the film, his influences and what it was like growing up as the child of one of TV's most recognizable character actors, Dana Elcar.
2023-05-2446 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 6: Mandy and Bottom 5 Freak-OutsDisassociated while lost in the hallucinogenic haze and violence of Nicholas Cage's 2018 flick "Mandy," Jay returns to Earth bitter, frustrated and out for vengeance himself. In turn, Mike giggles at Jay's pain like the title character at an exposed cult-leader's member. The guys then relay their bottom five freak-outs, a controversial list of filmic experimentation and intense over-emoting that includes Stanley Kubrick, David Lynch, and... Charleton Heston?
2023-05-1459 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 5: Knock Knock and Bottom 5 Male Superstar Performances"Knock Knock," asks Jay, grinning. "Who's there?" replies Mike, unsmiling. "Eli Roth's 2015 cinematic disaster 'Knock Knock,'" Jay introduces. There's a pause while both hosts look for a punchline that proves to be anyone that has sat through this, perhaps Keanu Reeves's worst acting ever. Naturally, the guys chase this cinematic atrocity with a list of their bottom five male superstar performances.
2023-04-3059 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 4: Timecop and Bottom 5 Time TravelsMike goes for the jugular and instead finds one of Jay’s sweet spots when “Timecop” in brought into the ring. The 1994 sci-fi adventure starring Jean Claude Van Damme is a lame-brained time-travel fiasco, but as directed by Peter Hyams, it’s not without its charms. That said, the guys turn their clocks back to look at some even worse chronological chaos with their Bottom Five Time Travels!See show notes and more at the website!
2023-04-1659 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 3: Out of Africa and Bottom 5 RomancesGoing where no episode of Filmjitsu has ever gone, Jason curses Mike with the unenviable task of having to sit through the sprawling 1985 Oscar-winning epic, "Out of Africa." Low on shlock, but full of breathtaking cinematography, the Robert Redford-Meryl Streep-starring romantic drama proves to be at-once well-regarded yet nigh-unwatchable, unlocking a new level of deadly cinema: the boring prestige picture. All this leads to the inclusion of our intrepid hosts' bottom five romances!See show notes and more at the website!
2023-04-0359 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 2: Cats and Bottom 5 A**holesThe first proper episode of the new Filmjitsu finds Jay struggling with words and unsure of when to stop hiding from behind his couch after Mike dares him to view 2019's multi-Razzi nominated "Cats." Also, in honor of this grand cinematic achievement, Mike and Jay offer up their Bottom Five A**holes.See show notes and more at the website!
2023-04-0259 min
Filmjitsu! The Podcast that wields films as deadly weaponsEpisode 1: Filmjitsu’s Return and Bottom 5 RebootsThe truth is, we’re not sure anyone needs more opinions from two middle-aged, average white dudes, but here they are. Mike has resurrected his monster of a podcast and with the help of new co-host Jay, explains why it has returned and offers up a Bottom Five Reboots/Remakes in the process!See show notes and more at the website!
2023-04-0258 min