I mostly enjoyed the first hour of this movie! Goofy, but funny and suitably visceral. But boy, does this fly off the rails in the third act.

At the Hollywood Reporter, I wrote about how this film, unlike the Alien revivals, at least wants to feel of a piece with its pred(ator)ecessors: www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/alien-franchise-predator-embraces-roots-1142079

I still do like this movie a lot. But the racial elements are unpleasant and hard to get over, and also, this movie ends with Dumbo still in the circus, WHICH IS THE WORST.

New podcast on the film with Scott and guest Steven Greydanus is right here: traffic.libsyn.com/mousterpiececinema/Mousterpiece_Cinema_Episode_368.mp3

"How did it feel, strapping that thing to your back and flying like a bat out of hell?"

"Well, it's the closest I'll ever get to heaven, Mr. Hughes."

What an exciting, uncynical, legitimately fun this movie still is, 22 years after the fact.

I think that maybe the best part of this incredible film is Jon Brion's drum-heavy build-up to the phone call between Sandler and PSH. It knows how explosive the call is, and it knows how explosive we want the call to be.

My God, what a movie.