With the 96th Academy Awards airing tonight (March 10), we thought we'd jump back a year and revisit the 95th edition. After all, it ended up being largely a one-movie show, with Everything Everywhere All at Once nearly sweeping the major categories - something that didn't really sit right with us. So, here are our thoughts on the 2023 Oscars and who we thought should've taken home gold.

If you want, check out our website: https://actionjuicebox.com and our social media accounts (@ActionJuicePod)

Episode Chapters:

00:05 - Introduction

00:24 - Fact/Off -- Our movie mini-game where D challenges Isaac and Will's knowledge of each other's film preferences. It's kind of like The Newlywed Game, but (somewhat) less romantic.

26:58 - We begin our revisit to last year's 95th Academy Awards

1:39:43 - Conclusion

When it was announced that Mark Boal, the award-winning writer of films like The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty, was creating a show for Apple TV+, we were incredibly excited and knew we had to cover it here on the pod. Titled Echo 3, this series follows "Bambi" (Luke Evans) and "Prince" (Michiel Huisman), two US Special Forces operators who set out to Colombia in order to rescue Amber (Jessica Ann Collins), Bambi's sister and Prince's wife. Kidnapped and suspected to be a CIA agent, Amber is being transported to the Venezuelan border, and once across, rescuing her will become a daunting challenge. And so, Bambi and Prince waste no time to lock, load, and let bullets fly.

We're back! It's been nearly a year since our last upload, which was longer than we planned on, but life gets in the way sometimes. But, hey, we're here now and we have many episodes coming down the pike. Some of these episodes, like this one, were pre-recorded a while ago, but most are new and we're eager to share them with you. If you're an old listener who's still here, thank you for your patience and we hope you stick with us.

If you want, check out our website: https://actionjuicebox.com and our social media accounts (@ActionJuicePod)

Episode Chapters:

00:05 - Introduction

01:19 - Our Echo 3 discussion begins with a spoiler-free synopsis and review

16:57 - We kick off a long, spoiler-filled synopsis and review of Echo 3

1:42:05 - Conclusion

At one point or another, we've all watched a movie that's regarded as a tremendous piece of filmmaking - by critics and/or filmgoers - that just didn't impress us. Perhaps it didn't age well, or perhaps it was never that good to begin with. Or maybe, possibly even probably, we're all just wrong in our assessments. Either way, we all have our opinions, and we've decided to share some of ours. After much contemplation, we both picked five films that we think are overrated or even kind of suck. Hopefully you agree with some, but more likely, this will be the moment you lose the speck of respect you had for us.

Again, we apologize for the tardiness of this episode. We're getting back on track and should have the next episode out soon. Since we filmed this over a month ago, the Off the QT news is a bit old. Again, sorry about that.

Episode Chapters:

00:05 - Introduction

01:20 - Off the QT: Golden Globe and Critics' Choice Awards results, Liam Neeson's Naked Gun Reboot/Sequel

9:20 - We begin listing our overrated movie picks and explaining our opinions

1:13:39 - Conclusion

Segments:

Off the QT: A breakdown of the latest movie/TV news and rumors

When action filmmaking legend John Woo finally decided to head to Hollywood, he chose Hard Target (1993) as his first English-language project. Then he was paired with another icon of action, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and the two set out to make shoot-em-up perfection. Buoyed by two fantastic supporting performances from Lance Henriksen and Arnold Vosloo, Hard Target was nearly a master stroke of violent filmcraft. That is, until the MPAA stepped in, forcing Woo to edit out a lot of the carnage. Jump ahead to 2022 and Kino Lorber has finally released the unrated international cut, in 4K no less. And we couldn't be more grateful.

We apologize for the tardiness of this episode. Life got in the way, but we're back on track. Since we filmed this a month ago, the Off the QT news is a bit old. Again, sorry about that.

Oh, and this episode features the second installment of Fact/Off, so that's neat. D promised it would be spicier this time, but was he able to keep that promise? Use the Episode Chapters to jump ahead if you can't wait to find out.

Warning: We spoil Hard Target more than a little bit here, but even if you stick around and listen, you'll still want to watch it. Trust us, watch it.

Episode Chapters:

00:05 - Introduction

02:00 - Off the QT: Misleading headlines about Avatar 2's box office returns, Gladiator 2 is a go, Aaron Taylor-Johnson meets with James Bond producers, the Evil Dead Rise trailer

08:03 - Fact/Off: Is our second ever installment spicier than the first?

21:18 - Our main chat about Hard Target begins

23:44 - The conversation kicks into gear with a comprehensive synopsis

34:44 - We dive into this movie and address the best moments

55:33 - We ask ourselves: where does Hard Target rank in JCVD's filmography? Is it a favorite of ours?

1:02:58 - Conclusion

Segments:

Off the QT: A breakdown of the latest movie/TV news and rumors

Fact/Off (working title): A new movie-centric minigame that's similar to The Newlywed Game

After an extended holiday break, Isaac and Will are back to chat about Avatar: The Way of the Water, James Cameron's beautiful follow-up to 2009's smash hit. As lifelong Cameron fans, we're conflicted about the Avatar series, as we long for the good ole days. At the same time, The Way of the Water is truly a spectacle to behold and a compelling theatrical experience. But then again, it's still just blue people doing blue stuff.

Warning: We spoil both Avatar (2009) and Avatar: The Way of the Water (2022) in this episode. Don't worry, we'll warn you beforehand in the recording, and there's more info on when the spoilers begin down below in the chapters.

Episode Chapters:

00:04 - Introduction

01:10 - Off the QT: Judge rules that Ana de Armas fans can sue over misleading Yesterday trailer, but is this actually a good thing?

12:22 - Our Avatar/Avatar 2 discussion begins with a bit of background

13:53 - A synopsis of Avatar (2009)

16:29 - Isaac & Will offer their thoughts on the 2009 blockbuster

23:20 - A detailed synopsis of Avatar: The Way of the Water (2022)

30:04 - Our spoiler-free reviews of Avatar 2

44:39 - We begin our spoiler-filled discussion of Avatar 2

1:24:59 - We discuss who James Cameron is as a filmmaker now vs. before

1:33:07 - Conclusion

Segments:

Off the QT: A breakdown of the latest movie/TV news and rumors

In our final podcast episode of 2022, Isaac and Will take on the simple yet daunting task of comparing Point Break (1991), an all-time action classic, to its unsuccessful 2015 remake. If you haven't seen the 2015 Point Break, just know that it's basically a perfect example of how NOT to do a remake. Huh, who would've thought we'd miss Gary Busey this much?

Also in this episode, we play our first ever game of Fact/Off (working title), a new segment that's similar to The Newlywed Game, except for movie buffs. We'd like to give a special thanks to the segment's host, D, for joining us. We hope to have him and Fact/Off return, so let us know if you enjoy it.

Warning: We spoil both Point Break movies in this episode. In the case of Point Break 2015, we're really doing you a favor. 

Episode Chapters:

00:05 - Introduction

02:31 - Off the QT: Clarence Gilyard Jr. passes away, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny trailer

05:16 - Isaac and Will chat about what they've watched recently

06:27 - Fact/Off: Our first ever game!

26:39 - Main discussion starts with our thoughts on Point Break (1991)

52:50 - We begin our assessment of Point Break (2015)

1:37:50 - Conclusion

Segments:

Off the QT: A breakdown of the latest movie/TV news and rumors

Fact/Off (working title): A new movie-centric minigame that's similar to The Newlywed Game

As the first season of Tulsa King rolls on, we thought we'd take a look at some other Sylvester Stallone content that involved him being in and/or leaving prison. After some consideration, we decided to pit Lock Up against Tango & Cash, two 1989 movies that don't rank highly in Stallone's filmography. In the end, this comparison got a little fiery, to an extent these movies really don't deserve.

Warning: We spoil both Lock Up and Tango & Cash in this episode. If you haven't seen them yet... well, you're not missing much.

Episode Chapters:

00:04 - Introduction

01:38 - Our website actionjuicebox.com is live!

01:57 - Off the QT: Escape from New York is getting a reboot, Steven Spielberg's Bullitt film moves forward with Bradley Cooper as the lead

06:41 - Isaac and Will chat about what they've watched recently

10:47 - Main Discussion: Lock Up (1989) vs Tango & Cash (1989)

11:43 - Synopsis of Lock Up

15:07 - Synopsis of Tango & Cash

18:19 - The main debate begins

1:06:25 - Conclusion

Segments:

Off the QT: A breakdown of the latest movie/TV news and rumors

For some reason, Hollywood produced a ton of airplane-set, big-budget action movies in the 90s. Today, we're comparing the two that are arguably the best, Executive Decision (1996) and Air Force One (1997). Released in back-to-back years, both films shared many similarities: setting, guns, music, terrorist baddies, illustrious leading men (Harrison Ford and Kurt Russell), and more. That said, it can be debated that one movie did it better than the other, and that's exactly what we're here to do.

Warning: We spoil both Air Force One and Executive Decision in this episode. They're a quarter of a century old, so we don't want to hear any complaints.

Episode Chapters:

00:05 - Introduction

01:54 - Our website actionjuicebox.com is live!

02:27 - Off the QT: Danny Boyle and Alex Garland linked to 28 Months Later, Henry Cavill quits Netflix's The Witcher series

14:10 - Fave/Off: Executive Decision (1996) vs Air Force One (1997)

16:20 - Synopsis of Executive Decision

24:57 - Synopsis of Air Force One

29:28 - The main debate begins

1:22:31 - Conclusion

Segments:

Off the QT: A breakdown of the latest movie/TV news and rumors

Fave/Off: We pit two of our favorite movies against each other and examine their pros & cons