Episode 313 - 1941
Welcome back to Not A Bomb! — the podcast where we resurrect cinema's most infamous box office disasters and ask the burning question: is it a bomb?
This week, the guys march into the chaos of Steven Spielberg's 1979 war comedy 1941. Fresh off the unprecedented successes of Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Spielberg was handed the ultimate Hollywood blank check to make whatever he wanted. The result was an enormous, effects-driven comedy about panic erupting across Southern California in the days following Pearl Harbor. While 1941 wasn't a full-blown box office bomb, it fell well short of the massive expectations surrounding Spielberg's first comedy, becoming one of the earliest examples of how even Hollywood's hottest director wasn't immune to a stumble.
But was the film unfairly judged, or is 1941 simply too loud, too chaotic, and too overstuffed for its own good? Troy and Brad break down the film's incredible cast, jaw-dropping practical effects, and the fascinating production that saw Spielberg pushing his filmmaking ambitions to new heights. The hosts also discuss how the film's reputation has evolved over the decades, why it has developed a passionate cult following, and how its perceived failure may have helped shape Spielberg's remarkable run of classics that followed.
Sound the air raid sirens, keep an eye on the Ferris wheel, and join Not A Bomb as they revisit one of Hollywood's most fascinating near-misses, proving that sometimes even a box office disappointment can become an unforgettable piece of blockbuster history.
Want to help support the show? Head over to the Not A Bomb Tee Public store and check our merchandise. Special thanks to Ted Blair for the amazing designs!
We're committed to hearing your feedback and suggestions. If there's a cinematic flop you'd like us to delve into, please reach out to us at NotABombPod@gmail.com or through our contact page. Your reviews and feedback are what drive us. If you enjoy our content, consider leaving a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify.
Welcome back to Not A Bomb! — the podcast where we resurrect cinema's most infamous box office disasters and ask the burning question: is it a bomb?
This week, the guys march into the chaos of Steven Spielberg's 1979 war comedy 1941. Fresh off the unprecedented successes of Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Spielberg was handed the ultimate Hollywood blank check to make whatever he wanted. The result was an enormous, effects-driven comedy about panic erupting across Southern California in the days following Pearl Harbor. While 1941 wasn't a full-blown box office bomb, it fell well short of the massive expectations surrounding Spielberg's first comedy, becoming one of the earliest examples of how even Hollywood's hottest director wasn't immune to a stumble.
But was the film unfairly judged, or is 1941 simply too loud, too chaotic, and too overstuffed for its own good? Troy and Brad break down the film's incredible cast, jaw-dropping practical effects, and the fascinating production that saw Spielberg pushing his filmmaking ambitions to new heights. The hosts also discuss how the film's reputation has evolved over the decades, why it has developed a passionate cult following, and how its perceived failure may have helped shape Spielberg's remarkable run of classics that followed.
Sound the air raid sirens, keep an eye on the Ferris wheel, and join Not A Bomb as they revisit one of Hollywood's most fascinating near-misses, proving that sometimes even a box office disappointment can become an unforgettable piece of blockbuster history.
Want to help support the show? Head over to the Not A Bomb Tee Public store and check our merchandise. Special thanks to Ted Blair for the amazing designs!
We're committed to hearing your feedback and suggestions. If there's a cinematic flop you'd like us to delve into, please reach out to us at NotABombPod@gmail.com or through our contact page. Your reviews and feedback are what drive us. If you enjoy our content, consider leaving a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify.
Episode 276 - Radioland Murders
Welcome back to Not A Bomb! This is the podcast where we explore some of cinema’s biggest box office failures and decide whether they deserve a second chance. We are celebrating five years of discussing cinematic flops!
🎙️ Episode 276 of Not A Bomb rolls on with Listener Request Month, and this time Troy and Brad dive headfirst into the chaotic soundwaves of 1994’s genre-bending, laugh-sprinkled thriller: Radioland Murders.
Produced by none other than George Lucas—yes, that George Lucas—this film takes place on the opening night of a brand-new radio station, where the microphones are hot, the egos are louder than the broadcast, and oh yeah… people are getting murdered. Live. On air. Because nothing says “launch party” like a body count.
Critics back in the day lined up to throw this one onto their “Worst of the Year” lists. But Troy and Brad aren’t so easily swayed. Is this misunderstood mess actually a hidden gem? Or is it just static in the signal?
Tune in to find out—because dead air has never been this entertaining.
Radioland Murders is directed by Mel Smith and stars Mary Stuart Masterson, Brian Benben, Scott Michael Campbell, Michael Lerner, Michael McKean, Jeffery Tambor, Stephen Tobolowsky, and Christopher Lloyd
To celebrate the last 25 years of film, the Not A Bomb podcast is compiling a Top 25 list from the Not A Bomb community. If you would like to submit your own list, please use this form to enter your 25 choices. For a film to be eligible, it must have been released between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2025. Those are the only rules. Thank you for being a part of the community! Stay tuned for a special episode revealing the results in December. Head over to Not A Bomb 25 in 25 to fill out the form!
Want to help support the show? Head over to the Not A Bomb Tee Public store and check our merchandise. Special thanks to Ted Blair for the amazing designs!
We're committed to hearing your feedback and suggestions. If there's a cinematic flop you'd like us to delve into, please reach out to us at NotABombPod@gmail.com or through our contact page. Your reviews and feedback are what drive us. If you enjoy our content, consider leaving a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify.
Welcome back to Not A Bomb! This is the podcast where we explore some of cinema’s biggest box office failures and decide whether they deserve a second chance. We are celebrating five years of discussing cinematic flops!
🎙️ Episode 276 of Not A Bomb rolls on with Listener Request Month, and this time Troy and Brad dive headfirst into the chaotic soundwaves of 1994’s genre-bending, laugh-sprinkled thriller: Radioland Murders.
Produced by none other than George Lucas—yes, that George Lucas—this film takes place on the opening night of a brand-new radio station, where the microphones are hot, the egos are louder than the broadcast, and oh yeah… people are getting murdered. Live. On air. Because nothing says “launch party” like a body count.
Critics back in the day lined up to throw this one onto their “Worst of the Year” lists. But Troy and Brad aren’t so easily swayed. Is this misunderstood mess actually a hidden gem? Or is it just static in the signal?
Tune in to find out—because dead air has never been this entertaining.
Radioland Murders is directed by Mel Smith and stars Mary Stuart Masterson, Brian Benben, Scott Michael Campbell, Michael Lerner, Michael McKean, Jeffery Tambor, Stephen Tobolowsky, and Christopher Lloyd
To celebrate the last 25 years of film, the Not A Bomb podcast is compiling a Top 25 list from the Not A Bomb community. If you would like to submit your own list, please use this form to enter your 25 choices. For a film to be eligible, it must have been released between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2025. Those are the only rules. Thank you for being a part of the community! Stay tuned for a special episode revealing the results in December. Head over to Not A Bomb 25 in 25 to fill out the form!
Want to help support the show? Head over to the Not A Bomb Tee Public store and check our merchandise. Special thanks to Ted Blair for the amazing designs!
We're committed to hearing your feedback and suggestions. If there's a cinematic flop you'd like us to delve into, please reach out to us at NotABombPod@gmail.com or through our contact page. Your reviews and feedback are what drive us. If you enjoy our content, consider leaving a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify.
Episode 268 - Captain America (1990)
Welcome back to Not A Bomb! This is the podcast where we explore some of cinema’s biggest box office failures and decide whether they deserve a second chance. We are celebrating five years of discussing cinematic flops!
Before the MCU assembled its mighty empire… before Chris Evans’ chiseled jawline became America’s favorite shield… there was Menahem Golan.
From the minds that brought you some of cinema’s most glorious disasters comes what many call the worst superhero movie ever forged in celluloid—Albert Pyun’s 1990 Captain America! The Not A Bomb boys are suiting up and once again teaming with Pyun to deep-dive into the red, white, and… “what were they thinking?”
This Cap didn’t soar into box offices—he barely thawed out long enough to see a theatrical release in the Philippines! And yet, through the decades, this star-spangled oddity has built a cult following worthy of Hydra’s secrecy.
So… have Brad and Troy sworn allegiance to this cinematic super-soldier, or will they hurl the shield straight into the trash heap of history? Grab your headphones, true believers—there’s only one way to find out!
To celebrate the last 25 years of film, the Not A Bomb podcast is compiling a Top 25 list from the Not A Bomb community. If you would like to submit your own list, please use this form to enter your 25 choices.
For a film to be eligible, it must have been released between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2025. Those are the only rules. Thank you for being a part of the community! Stay tuned for a special episode revealing the results in December. Head over to Not A Bomb 25 in 25 to fill out the form!
Want to help support the show? Head over to the Not A Bomb Tee Public store and check our merchandise. Special thanks to Ted Blair for the amazing designs!
We're committed to hearing your feedback and suggestions. If there's a cinematic flop you'd like us to delve into, please reach out to us at NotABombPod@gmail.com or through our contact page. Your reviews and feedback are what drive us. If you enjoy our content, consider leaving a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify.
Welcome back to Not A Bomb! This is the podcast where we explore some of cinema’s biggest box office failures and decide whether they deserve a second chance. We are celebrating five years of discussing cinematic flops!
Before the MCU assembled its mighty empire… before Chris Evans’ chiseled jawline became America’s favorite shield… there was Menahem Golan.
From the minds that brought you some of cinema’s most glorious disasters comes what many call the worst superhero movie ever forged in celluloid—Albert Pyun’s 1990 Captain America! The Not A Bomb boys are suiting up and once again teaming with Pyun to deep-dive into the red, white, and… “what were they thinking?”
This Cap didn’t soar into box offices—he barely thawed out long enough to see a theatrical release in the Philippines! And yet, through the decades, this star-spangled oddity has built a cult following worthy of Hydra’s secrecy.
So… have Brad and Troy sworn allegiance to this cinematic super-soldier, or will they hurl the shield straight into the trash heap of history? Grab your headphones, true believers—there’s only one way to find out!
To celebrate the last 25 years of film, the Not A Bomb podcast is compiling a Top 25 list from the Not A Bomb community. If you would like to submit your own list, please use this form to enter your 25 choices.
For a film to be eligible, it must have been released between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2025. Those are the only rules. Thank you for being a part of the community! Stay tuned for a special episode revealing the results in December. Head over to Not A Bomb 25 in 25 to fill out the form!
Want to help support the show? Head over to the Not A Bomb Tee Public store and check our merchandise. Special thanks to Ted Blair for the amazing designs!
We're committed to hearing your feedback and suggestions. If there's a cinematic flop you'd like us to delve into, please reach out to us at NotABombPod@gmail.com or through our contact page. Your reviews and feedback are what drive us. If you enjoy our content, consider leaving a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify.