Podcast
Hops and Box Office Flops
Hosted by Hops and Box Office Flops · EN
A film podcast dedicated to the underdogs — the disasters, the bombs, the much maligned! So sit back, grab a beer, and enjoy!
34episodes
Episodes
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Batman v Superman – The Red Capes are Coming
Dec 2602:06:29Tap to summarizeAfter seven years and 299 episodes, it was only fitting we'd tackle the film that's been a lightning rod with fans—and the hosts of this podcast—since its release in March 2016. Love it or hate it, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice remains in the comic book cultural zeitgeist; and it was the first in a chain of events that led to the eventual downfall of the previous iteration of the DCU. Now, sit back, knuckle up with a Buffalo Nickel from Wren House Brewing, and smuggle all the sweet goods from the White Portuguese! The Thunderous Wizard, Chumpzilla, and Bling Blake are hopping over to Metropolis to drink Lex Luthor dry. This Week’s Segments: Introduction/Plot Breakdown – Son of Krypton versus Bat of Gotham! Lingering Questions – Were we able to break Chumpzilla's spirit? (54:47) The "Manors on the Wayne" Trivia Challenge – The Thunderous Wizard challenges the field to trivia about the movie. (1:38:09) Recommendations – We offer our picks for the week and next up: We will see you in the new year for the kickoff of season 8! (1:55:43) And, as always, hit us up on Threads, X, Facebook, Bluesky, or Instagram to check out all the interesting factoids from this week’s episode!
Transcribe →Resident Evil: The Final Chapter – The Trinity of B*****s
Dec 1201:25:27Tap to summarizeWe've mercifully finished the fight! After four grueling pods and six movies, we conclude our Biohazard Flops series with Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. Frankly, we don't have the energy to attempt to dissect how this made more than $300 million worldwide. We survived, and that's all that matters. Now, sit back, give in to the T-Virus with a Harvest Zombie from KCBC, and sneak through that goddamn laser hallway again! The Thunderous Wizard, Chumpzilla, and Bling Blake are finding the least annoying clone of Mayor McCheese to hang out with! It's going poorly. This Week’s Segments: Introduction/Plot Breakdown – Back to the Hive! Lingering Questions – It's done. It never made sense. But did some of the nonsense work? (29:20) The "Final Chap-turd" Trivia Challenge – Chumpzilla challenges the field to trivia about the movie. (52:54) Recommendations – We offer our picks for the week and next up: We our historical, monumental, shocking 300th episode with ... We're still not sure! (1:09:11) And, as always, hit us up on Threads, X, Facebook, Bluesky, or Instagram to check out all the interesting factoids from this week’s episode!
Transcribe →Resident Evil: Retribution – Undead Sims
Dec 501:05:27Tap to summarizeResident Evil: Retribution carries on the proud tradition of these movies making no sense. The Red Queen is back, and she's an even bigger bitch; Leon shows up with Barry Burton for reasons; and Wesker is alive — which we knew — but he's defected from Umbrella now. Things happen, Alice wakes up naked — again — and does backflips — again! And we, the audience, are left to wonder what crime we committed to earn it the penance we're paying. Now, sit back, sterilize that bite with a Kirkland Lager, and don't get stuck in that Moscow department store! The Thunderous Wizard, Chumpzilla, and Bling Blake are commandeering Umbrella's submarine to get the hell out of this nightmare simulator. This Week’s Segments: Introduction/Plot Breakdown – Evil goes global! Lingering Questions – Are we having fun yet? (31:04) The "Red Queen" Trivia Challenge – Chumpzilla challenges the field to trivia about the movie. (44:14) Recommendations – We offer our picks for the week and next up: We conclude Hops and Biohazard Flops with the last entry in the series that stubbornly still refuses to die — Resident Evil: The Final Chapter! (55:38) And, as always, hit us up on Threads, X, Facebook, Bluesky, or Instagram to check out all the interesting factoids from this week’s episode!
Transcribe →Swing Vote – Hanging Sad
Oct 1001:06:24Tap to summarizeSwing Vote is about as dated as a film can get, harkening back to a time when politics were more civil and it was conceivable that both parties actually cared about their constituents. In that sense, it's sort of a time capsule peace. It's also an unfunny mess, where we're stuck rooting for a deadbeat dad as two candidates shamelessly jockey for his decisive vote. In Swing Vote Kevin Costner, as Bud Johnson, owns that lone vote. It's up to him to decide the winner of the Presidency. The only issue: He is a moron that isn't particularly interested in the race, nor is he aware of the ramifications exercising this immense civic duty could have. Thus, we're forced to suffer through two hours of him hemming, hawing, and drinking. Yes, he does finally learn his lesson, which culminates in one of the most cheesy scenes we've done on this podcast. Critics and audiences seemed to agree. Neither enjoyed the film. And Swing Vote didn't even make enough at the box office to recoup its modest $21 million budget. Now, sit back, help Bud nurse his hangover with a Mangolorian from Naked River Brewery, and hop aboard President Boone's Money Plane! The Thunderous Wizard, Chumpzilla, and Bling Blake are unsure who the hell is actually running in this thing! This Week’s Segments: Introduction/Plot Breakdown – One ordinary guy is giving the candidates a reason to run! Lingering Questions – Was Bud just too big an asshole to root for? (22:58) The "Egg Salad" Trivia Challenge – Chumpzilla challenges the field to trivia about the movie. (39:05) Recommendations – We offer our picks for the week and next up: We continue our Hops and Electoral Flops series with The Campaign! (48:07) And, as always, hit us up on Threads, X, Facebook, Bluesky, or Instagram to check out all the interesting factoids from this week’s episode!
Transcribe →Skyscraper – Duct Tape Will Fix It
Sep 2601:20:58Tap to summarizeSkyscraper is our highest grossing Try Hard Flop, but it’s also our dullest. A paint-by-numbers action movie with very little action to speak of, this thing is a CGI-bloated algorithm of genre tropes. Instead of just allowing the Rock to go full 80s badass, we get the wounded warrior poet, who begrudgingly picks back up his “sword” to clear his name and save his family. If only the villains were similarly overwritten. They’re just there because it’s necessary to have them. Skyscraper doesn’t even bother to give them coherent motivations or pathos. Unlike the building in the film, movie execs should’ve just let this script burn. Now, sit back, gain some liquid courage with a Stumble Berry from Fat Head's Brewery, and jump off that crane! The Thunderous Wizard, Chumpzilla, and Bling Blake are lost in this idiotic hall of digital mirrors! Help! This Week’s Segments: Introduction/Plot Breakdown – Don't look down! Lingering Questions – In a movie full of implausible nonsense, what plot element was the most ludicrous? (38:56) The "Safe Room" Trivia Challenge – Bling Blake challenges the field to trivia about the movie. (1:00:20) Recommendations – We offer our picks for the week and next up: We kickoff our Hops and Electoral Flops series with Swing Vote! (1:09:36) And, as always, hit us up on Threads, X, Facebook, Bluesky, or Instagram to check out all the interesting factoids from this week’s episode!
Transcribe →White House Down – Cruel and Unusual Punishment
Sep 1901:15:22Tap to summarizeWhite House Down was one of two action movies set in the nation’s capitol in 2013. And it is the far inferior one. Despite costing $80 million more than Olympus Has Fallen, White House Down looks and plays like a cheap replica of the former. Its PG-13 rating is also watered down, robbing the film of any potential for over the top violence. We thought this was America, damnit! Now, sit back, lock and load an X Hero IPA from Revolution Brewing, and keep your hands off the President's Jordans! The Thunderous Wizard, Chumpzilla, and Bling Blake are trolling the White House tunnels for Gerald Ford's lost swimsuit! This Week’s Segments: Introduction/Plot Breakdown – It will start like any other day! Lingering Questions – Is this fun bad or just bad bad? (29:42) The "Lincoln Bedroom" Trivia Challenge – Bling Blake challenges the field to trivia about the movie. (54:46) Recommendations – We offer our picks for the week and next up: We conclude our Try Hard Flops series with the most blatant of our ripoffs, Skyscraper! (1:06:57) And, as always, hit us up on Threads, X, Facebook, Bluesky, or Instagram to check out all the interesting factoids from this week’s episode!
Transcribe →Toy Soldiers – Sex Crazed and Bootleg Vodka Strong
Sep 501:06:10Tap to summarizeToy Soldiers is the proof that Samwise Gamgee isn't just a stupid, fat Hobbit. He was once a dickish prep school kid, who played by his own rules. Despite his poor behaviors and utter disrespect for authority, he's also capable of heroic feats. That is the central concept behind Toy Soldiers—trust fund kids versus Colombian terrorists. Like all Die Hard-inspired films, we know how it will end—improbably and with a dose of good old American spirit! Though it is now considered a cult classic, this isn't one of the finer clones of the 1988 classic that spawned the genre. Is it serviceable? Sure. But there's a reason it flopped, grossing just above $15 million on a budget of $10 million; and its 41% on Rotten Tomatoes isn't exactly off the mark. But, hey, where else are you going to get to see a bunch of horny teens best vaguely racist depictions of South American ne'er-do-wells?! Now, sit back, smuggle in a few This is Growing Up Hazy IPAs from Roses by the Stairs, and swap those circuits! The Thunderous Wizard, Chumpzilla, and Bling Blake may be a bunch of rejects, but we're going to save the day! This Week’s Segments: Introduction/Plot Breakdown – Terrorists have taken over Regis Academy, and they're about to receive a lesson they will never forget! Lingering Questions – Who would be our go-to hero to rescue these prep school dorks in their time of need? (27:09) The "What's Pazanpans" Trivia Challenge – The Thunderous Wizard challenges the field to trivia about the movie. (39:39) Recommendations – We offer our picks for the week and next up: We continue our Try Hard Flops series with the lesser of the crisis in D.C. movies, White House Down! (51:16) And, as always, hit us up on Threads, X, Facebook, Bluesky, or Instagram to check out all the interesting factoids from this week’s episode!
Transcribe →Under Siege 2: Dark Territory – Off the Tracks
Aug 2901:03:37Tap to summarizeThere are many things under siege in Under Siege 2: Dark Territory—the audience, Steven Seagal’s credibility as a tough guy, his belt, and the statutory laws of wherever they filmed. None of those equate to an entertaining action movie, nor should they describe the sequel to a pretty solid film of the genre. Yes, this movie sucks. But, it did essentially end the silly notion that Seagal was anything more than the blowhard that he actually was. We can all thank it for that, at least. Now, sit back, chop open an Oatmeal Porter from Highland Brewing, and hack that Apple Newton! The Thunderous Wizard, Chumpzilla, and Bling Blake are knife fighting terrorists on a runaway train! This Week’s Segments: Introduction/Plot Breakdown – Last time he rocked the boat. This time the sky's the limit! Lingering Questions – Was any of the action in this action movie up to snuff? (31:58) The "Hero Shit" Trivia Challenge – Chumpzilla challenges the field to trivia about the movie. (44:34) Recommendations – We offer our picks for the week and next up: We continue our Try Hard Flops series with Die Hard at a prep school, Toy Soldiers! (56:11) And, as always, hit us up on Threads, X, Facebook, Bluesky, or Instagram to check out all the interesting factoids from this week’s episode!
Transcribe →War of the Worlds – Get Away from This Thing
Aug 2200:55:51Tap to summarizeFilmed during the pandemic, 2025's War of the Worlds was shelved for four+ years before being foisted upon the unsuspecting public. This turd should've never been dusted off. There is nothing less suspenseful than watching Ice Cube fluctuate between looking anxious, angry, disturbed, and smarmy whilst sitting at a computer screen. Literally, that is the film. Now, sit back, ease your migraine with a Hazy Sculpin from Ballast Point Brewing, and stop hacking those drones! The Thunderous Wizard, Chumpzilla, and Bling Blake are fighting off the alien invasion with nothing but our moxie and Amazon Prime Air! This Week’s Segments: Introduction/Plot Breakdown – It's worse than you think! No, I am not just having a laugh; that is legitimately the movie's tagline. Lingering Questions – Why!? (28:30) Recommendations – We offer our picks for the week and next up: We kickoff our Try Hard Flops series with the mediocre sequel to an action classic, Under Siege 2: Dark Territory! (45:46) And, as always, hit us up on Threads, X, Facebook, Bluesky, or Instagram to check out all the interesting factoids from this week’s episode!
Transcribe →Jaws: The Revenge – Teleporting and Telepathic Terror
Aug 8, 202501:13:30Tap to summarizeJaws: The Revenge is the sad end to the great white's big screen carnivorous adventures. Last episode, we skewered Jaws 3D for its cheap effects, lack of tension, and overall moronic story. Jaws: The Revenge is somehow worse. Sure, the shark effects are better (however moderately), but the story is nonsensical slop. This time around, the prehistoric predator is out for more than just satisfying its own bloodlust. This hunt is personal. The Brody family is going to pay! Why does this particular shark care so much about their past offenses? That's an impossible question to answer, and, therefore, it probably shouldn't have been asked. Regardless, they're going to get what's coming to them, and neither the laws of physics nor basic logic will stop Jaws! Hell, why are we even debating this?! Just jump on the banana boat and have some fun! Now, sit back, toast to Sean Brody's memory with a Fiddlehead IPA from Fiddlehead Brewing Co., and track those sea snails! The Thunderous Wizard, Chumpzilla, and Bling Blake are betting it all with Hoagie at the craps table! This Week’s Segments: Introduction/Plot Breakdown – This time...it's personal! Lingering Questions – Better or worse than its terrible predecessor? (33:20) The "Shark Roars at Midnight" Trivia Challenge – Bling Blake challenges the field to trivia about the movie. (48:29) Recommendations – We offer our picks for the week and next up: We tackle one of the dumbest films on this planet—or any other—2025's War of the Worlds! (1:01:15) And, as always, hit us up on Threads, X, Facebook, Bluesky, or Instagram to check out all the interesting factoids from this week’s episode!
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