Bring up The Matrix and it won't take long for someone to interject with "too bad about those sequels, eh?" -- which is weird because Matrix Part 2 is pretty damn fantastic across the board. My old friend and great writer Scott Beggs is on hand to rattle off numerous reasons that The Matrix Reloaded might be considered overhated, despite being a massive hit.

Director Paul W.S. Anderson was coming off a box office disappointment called Event Horizon when Soldier hit the screens... and this Kurt Russell action flick fared even worse at the box office. Critics trashed it as well. So how does it hold up now? I'm joined by patron and pal Jeremy Wickett, who happens to be a pretty big fan of this film.

It's one of the most reviled sequels ever made... but is it really that bad? That's the question we always ask here on Overhated, and you may be surprised to hear what film critic / returning guest Fred Topel and I have to say about it. Or not. Either way it's a fun episode.

The Broken Lizard comedy troupe hit the big time with their cult classic Super Troopers, but their next movie wasn't received quite as warmly. My friend Peter Hall would like to officially kick-start the cult classic status for this insane horror comedy. Plus we spend some time honoring the great Bill Paxton, praising some of this year's best horror movies, and promoting Pete's new horror novel, The Dead Friends Society!

Every highly successful director seems to have one, and hopefully just one: a "vanity" project that goes over-budget and flops at the box office while critics scratch their collective head and moviegoers simply go see something else. Barry Levinson's Toys qualifies here; in this episode I'm joined by returning guest Laurel Vail, who loves this weird flick a whole lot. 

What happens when you remove the few moments of Christmas-themed sweetness from a franchise otherwise known for wildly over-the-top comedic violence? You get Home Alone 3, which Roger Ebert liked more than the first two. It's true. Big thanks to my guest, film critic Courtney Howard.

The success of Dick Tracy led to a few strange movies: there's The Rocketeer, which is awesome, and The Shadow, which is not, and The Phantom, which is what Junkfood Cinema's Brian J. Salisbury is here to discuss today.

Astute horror fans know this one, but beyond that I'd say Cherry Falls is a virtually unknown horror film. Suffice to say it might also be the most 2000 movie ever made, just based on the cast alone. But this movie had a wildly difficult journey from script to (TV) screen. It's a very long story, but for this episode we have a fascinating guest indeed. Randy Ostrow (@Mad_Randolph) is a producer in his own right, but back in 2000 he was the VP of production for the now-extinct October Films -- and wow does he have some crazy stories.

Can a Spielberg film even be Overhated? Certainly, with all things being relative and all that. The topic comes up on social media all the time, partially because the man is such a consistently impressive filmmaker. So I've tapped Spielberg scholar Erik Childress (@erikthemovieman) to discuss one of the director's less widely adored movies.

Two underappreciated Walter Hill films in a row? Yep. And we have author Walter Chaw (@mangiotto) back as well. And we may just do more Hill films down the road. We're unpredictable. But for now we focus on this oddly satisfying musical melodrama starring Ralph Macchio. We also spend some time on Brewster's Millions (1985) because why the hell not.

Already I can hear your cries of "who could hate this movie?!?" and while I agree with the sentiment, the sad truth is that this movie bombed and the box office, and critics trashed it. It took about a decade of heavy HBO rotation for it to morph into one of the decade's most beloved cult films. And I've got Walter Hill expert Walter Chaw (@mangiotto) on hand to talk about it.

Our goofy Stephen King adaptation double feature concludes with a 1984 movie that recently got its own remake that may be eligible for Overhated in a few years. (or maybe not.) Big thanks to Erik Childress (@erikthemovieman) for closing Halloween 2022 out in style.

Stephen King fans will remember this one as "the movie he sued," and won, but beyond that nobody really remembers The Lawnmower Man. My friend Ben Rock (@neptunesalad) does, to a point, and he explains why here. I remain unconvinced. 

I had to break out a personal favorite for the 100th episode, and Ridley Scott's Legend certainly qualifies. As a kid I saw / liked it, and yearned for a chance to see the legendary" European cut," but I never actually expected to see that insanely cool Universal DVD release from a few years back. Anyway, big thanks to my guest, film critic and fellow Legend fan, Sarah Fetters (@MoviefreakSara), for discussing this kooky yet lovable old movie.

This movie was almost directed by John Woo, and it shows. Big thanks to veteran film critic Fred Topel (@fredtopel) for having me revisit a seriously fun action flick that got very little respect from film critics, and even less from ticket buyers.

How could such a classy film be overhated? Well, first let's look at the box office... and then the number of Oscar nominations. And when was the last time anyone even discussed this movie? Well, our guest Rodney Ascher (@rodney_ascher) of Room 237 fame likes this movie a whole lot, and he explains why!

Frank Marshall's old-fashioned jungle adventure Congo turned out to be a pretty solid hit back in the summer of 1995, and it still seems to have fans today, so how could it ever be overhated? Well, in this case it was those pesky film critics. (Like me, but that's not the point.) And maybe that goofball gorilla. Big thanks to "Scripts Gone Wild" host Billy Ray Brewton (@BillyRayBrewton) for suggesting this one and sitting in to defend the flick.

Anyone out there remember Doomsday? the sci-fi / action / horror combo from the director who was hot off of Dog Soldiers and The Descent? Well, I do. And so do lots of hardcore genre fans like my pal / patron David (@colorsmitty) Smith. He chose it, and we discuss it! 

My weird obsession with the cinema of 1980 continues, and this time we're covering a movie I don't even like very much! But it's not every day you get to see Kirk Douglas, Harvey Keitel, Farrah Fawcett, and a very large robot chasing each other through a space station. Nor should it. Big thanks to my pal Richard Jensen (@theragingcelt) for sitting in on this one.