Oliver Harper joins us to celebrate James Gunn's reboot of the Superman franchise by looking back at Bryan Singer's Superman Returns (2006), which tends to get lost in the mix when discussing previous attempts to revive the DC superhero. It boldly attempted to pick up the thread of the Christopher Reeve/Richard Donner era Superman and act as a sequel to Superman II (1980), with the charming (then unknown) Brandon Routh channeling Reeve in his portrayal of the man of steel and his bumbling alter ego. Despite its stellar casting, John Williams musical themes, and lavish production values, it failed to soar at the box office, leading to the cancellation of its sequel and a rethink that led us to Zack Snyder's series 7 years later. But is it a nostalgia pandering misfire or a misunderstood gem that deserves to return? Find out!

Check out Oliver Harper's retrospectives and reviews on YouTube, including his recent look back at Man of Steel!

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Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo joins us to revisit his standalone sequel to Danny Boyle's iconic post-apocalyptic horror film. 28 Weeks Later (2007) focuses on the challenges of rebuilding a family and a society in the wake of the rage virus outbreak, while upping the stakes and the scale of the infected onslaught. In a sense, we get to see the things Jim slept through in the original. But despite a strong box office performance and positive reviews, it's often been overlooked since its release – even going unmentioned in the publicity around Boyle's own forthcoming sequel. Is it a under-appreciated entry in the series that deserves to be released from the Oubliette? Find out!

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Pascal Laugier's follow-up to Martyrs (2008) is a Canadian-French horror/thriller, set in a small, poverty-stricken town in Washington where local nurse Julia (Jessica Biel) gets caught up in a string of child abductions, which the townsfolk blame on a legendary boogeyman figure, The Tall Man (2012). The result is a twisty, turny tale full of surprises and stinger-highlighted jump scares. But is it an underrated classic of sociological terror or a muddle of deceptive plot contrivances? Find out!

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For this bonus episode, we take a look at Warwick Thornton's new film The New Boy, in which an Aboriginal child with mysterious powers disturbs the delicately balanced world in a remote monastery in 1940s Australia. Starring the always marvellous Cate Blanchett as the renegade nun, Sister Eileen, and Aswan Reid as the new boy, Thornton's story of spiritual struggle gets a theatrical release this Friday and will be on digital the following week.

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In Looker, Michael Crichton warned us of a future in which computer-generated thirst-traps manipulate unwitting consumers through the media, all at the behest of powerful tech moguls. In 1981, this all seemed a bit ridiculous – especially as performed by a stodgy Albert Finney chasing around with an Atari lightgun trying to rescue Playboy models. Not surprisingly, it only hacked $3.3 million out of the box office against an estimated $12 million budget. But it is a cruelly rejected gem that was way ahead of its time? Find out!

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Rob Hill, author of 'The Bad Movie Bible' and creator of the fabulous accompanying YouTube channel, joins Conrad and surprise guest host Melinda Mock of RetroBlasting to explore a notorious naked space vampire film that turns 40 this year. On paper, Lifeforce (1985) has everything you could possibly want for an epic cosmic horror British disaster film: an adaptation of a popular Lovecraftian novel by Colin Wilson, co-scripted by Alien co-creator Dan O'Bannon; a sizeable budget and some of the finest production technicians in London paired with ILM alumni John Dykstra's visual effects; and Tobe Hooper in the director's chair. Unfortunately, there are only two things most teens remember about Lifeforce... and both of them are attached to French actor Mathilda May. Is this a misunderstood gem of quirky British terror, or is decisive proof that Hooper didn't direct Poltergeist?

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Arachnophobia scared up only $53 million at the box office when it was released in July of 1990, thanks to stiff competition from Ghost, and has largely been overlooked in the annals of monster movie horror comedies. All this despite a fine cast, including Jeff Daniels and John Goodman, and a Spielbergian pedigree. With a Christopher Landon remake in the works, we thought it was time to celebrate the original's 35th anniversary... but is it an endangered species that should be set free, or is it an ecological menace that should be left in the tepuis of Venezuela? Find out!

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Isaac Sutton joins us for our first venture into Japanese anime! Takeshi Koike's visually dazzling animated sci-fi racing spectacle Redline failed to find its audience upon its release in August 2009 despite critical praise. Does it deserve the cult status it's been cultivating on physical media since then, or is it all rev and no substance?

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