Kazaam (1996) Was Even Worse Than You Remember | Shaq's Genie Movie Reviewed
Release Date: 04/26/2026
Cinema Psychos Movie Reviews
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a beautiful mess...and we're here for it! We weren't planning on covering this one — but after seeing Spider-Man: Brand New Day, we had to record an emergency bonus episode. Brian and John break down why this is the most grounded, consequence-driven Spider-Man movie the MCU has made yet, the surprisingly great Punisher subplot, Florence Pugh's instantly-memeable "small potatoes" scene, and how this film borrows more from Raimi's Spider-Man 2 than any prior MCU entry. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 – Intro: why this bonus episode exists 1:58 – Taking our kids to see...
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Eric Idle and Lorne Michaels teamed up in 1978 to make the greatest Beatles parody you've probably never seen — and it worked so well that Paul McCartney sent back a real letter saying he didn't find it funny, while John Lennon loved it so much he never returned his copy. This week on Cinema Psycho Show, Brian and John dig into The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash, the SNL-adjacent mockumentary packed with John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Mick Jagger, and even George Harrison himself. We break down the Beatles history it's spoofing, argue about whether you need to be a...
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This is a spoiler-filled review and discussion of Super (2010), directed by James Gunn and starring Rainn Wilson and Elliot Page, covering the film's violence, its most divisive scene, and what it means that its director now runs DC Studios. Before James Gunn was directing Superman, he wrote and directed Super (2010) — and it's way darker than you remember. Brian and John are joined by Josh Axelrod, Director of Media & Press Relations at the Lindsay Theater, to break down Super (2010) — and this time, our guest actually came in ready to fight us on it. Super (2010) Quick Facts: ...
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Fargo (1996) turns 30 this year. On this episode of The Cinema Psycho Show, hosts Brian and John are joined by Katie and Nat from The VHS Club podcast to revisit the Coen brothers' Minnesota crime classic — including why detective Marge Gunderson spent most of the investigation with almost nothing to go on but a single vague description of her "funny looking" suspect. In this episode: Why Fargo's dialogue rewards a rewatch more than almost any crime film of the '90s Marge Gunderson's investigation, and how one bystander's description of a "funny looking" suspect drives the entire back half...
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This is a spoiler-filled review and discussion of Obsession (2026), directed by Curry Barker and starring Inde Navarrette and Michael Johnston, covering the film's themes, performances, and ending. Obsession is finally on digital — and Inde Navarrette's performance as Nikki is going to haunt you. Brian and John are joined by returning guest Jordan the Grey Witch to break down Curry Barker's indie horror hit that's outgrossing studio tentpoles on a fraction of the budget — including why Bear might have the most punchable face in horror this year. We cover why this "nice guy" is actually the...
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Happy 4th of July — we're doing it differently this year! Brian and John are joined by returning guest Henry O'Brien (Film Obsessive / Stuff I Watched Substack) to review Oliver Stone's BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY (1989) — and make the case that this is not just Tom Cruise's best performance, but one of the most underseen masterworks of American cinema. In this episode: • Why Stone's 5-act structure is a deliberate rejection of war film conventions • Tom Cruise vs. Eyes Wide Shut — where does Ron Kovic rank? • Willem Dafoe in Mexico: Robert Eggers crazy vs. balls-to-the-wall crazy...
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Masters of The Universe (1987) is the ultimate 80s movie debate. Is it a sci-fi epic, or is it a glorious, awesomely bad disaster? Let’s find out. When Mattel teamed up with Cannon Films—a studio legendary for running on sheer sweat, blood, and wild choices—to bring He-Man to the big screen, the results were unforgettable. In this episode, the Cinema Psychos are joined by Justin from Epic Film Guys to dissect a film that completely chose its own path We break down how a $22 million budget led the filmmakers to abandon Eternia for Earth, why Dolph Lundgren's live-action debut remains...
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🚨 Subscribe to our newsletter!- https://the-cinema-psychos-show.kit.com/9e9a267e76 🎉 EPISODE 400 🎉 — and we're celebrating with the remake nobody asked for. For Father's Day, BrIan and John are joined by Old Man Brad (Tomb of Terrors podcast) to review THE STEPFATHER (2009) — a PG-13 slasher remake so soulless it makes you appreciate the original even more. In this episode: • Is Dylan Walsh doing Nip/Tuck or pantomiming Terry O'Quinn? • The movie called "The Stepfather" where he's never actually a stepfather • Amber Heard's entire wardrobe: one bikini, repeated indefinitely...
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🚨 Subscribe to our newsletter!- https://the-cinema-psychos-show.kit.com/9e9a267e76 Before Batman, before Beetlejuice — Michael Keaton was making people lose their minds in a gangster parody so dense with jokes it makes Airplane! look restrained. Brian is joined by special guest KT Baldassaro to dig into the 1984 cult classic Johnny Dangerously — a PG-13 movie that somehow snuck in an exploding-balls PSA, and Weird Al Yankovic losing his VHS rights over money. They break down why the film works more like an SNL sketch marathon than a traditional comedy, why Joe Piscopo was actually a...
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🚨 Subscribe to our newsletter!- https://the-cinema-psychos-show.kit.com/9e9a267e76 Seven years since a Star Wars film hit theaters. Disney's biggest star wars streaming property was given a $165 million budget — while every other Star Wars movie got $500-600 million which makes you wonder, did Disney short change this movie on purpose? Brian and John break down why The Mandalorian & Grogu felt less like a cinematic event and more like Season 4 of a show Disney didn't want to pay for — and whether that's actually a problem. Plus: Jabba's inexplicably jacked son, Martin Scorsese...
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In 1996, Touchstone Pictures looked at Shaquille O'Neal, looked at their checkbook, and said: "Genie movie. Let's go." Nobody wrote a real script. Nobody asked questions. And somehow, nobody noticed the kid protagonist falls nine stories into an abandoned building in the first five minutes and should be dead for the entire rest of the film.
This week on the Cinema Psychos Show, Brian and John are digging into Kazaam — one of the most competently filmed disasters in 90s kids movie history. We're talking a genie who forgets about wishes because he's chasing a rap career, a villain whose criminal empire is 100% bootleg CDs, and a third act where Shaq transforms into the Teletubbies golden sun and dunks the bad guy. As a basketball.
We also get into:
* The Sinbad Shazam Mandela Effect (and why people are wrong)
* Why Steel might actually be a better Shaq movie (we said what we said)
* Max's deadbeat bootlegger dad and the child support he definitely didn't pay
* The historical evidence that Kazaam caused the eruption of Pompeii
* Letterboxd reviews that go places we were not prepared for
CHAPTERS:
Introduction and Show Open [00:00]
Sinbad Shazam Mandela Effect [01:00]
Shaq's Film Career and Childhood Movie Tastes [03:00]
Podcast Housekeeping and Follow Calls [05:36]
Launching the Weekly Newsletter [12:00]
Newsletter Content and Audience Interaction [14:00]
Kazaam Plot Synopsis [16:00]
First Watches and Nostalgia [18:00]
Max's Home Life and Bullying [21:00]
Releasing the Genie and First Wish [26:00]
Family Drama and Absent Father [30:00]
Bootleg CD Crime and Rap Career [36:00]
Climax and Absurd Ending [42:00]
Audience Reviews [48:00]
Final Thoughts and Plugs [56:00]
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MAIN TITLE: “Red Alert”
AUTHOR: Jack Waldenmaier
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