In the web series Britannia Rules?, reviewer Richard Murphy looks at some of the more questionable moments in British film, TV, and pop culture. By special request of the Agony Booth, Richard is kicking off a new series-within-the-series titled “The Special Relationship”, wherein he looks at American movie remakes that don’t quite live up to their British source material.

“The Special Relationship” starts here, with a comparison of the ‘60s British series The Avengers, and the Razzie-winning 1998 American remake starring Ralph Fiennes, Uma Thurman, and Sean Connery!

“The only parts of the film I can actually say I kind of like are the two Tyrannosaurus rampages in the middle of the movie, and the beast running wild in San Diego. Even then, my enjoyment is negated by the lousy characters, and when a guy like me (who can find enjoyment in pretty much anything) isn’t able to glean any satisfaction from a giant monster wreaking havoc, something has gone seriously wrong with your movie. This is one of those films that works just fine when the special effects are in control and nobody is talking. But when they do talk... Jesus.”

From an undisclosed location in the Middle East comes the Agony Booth's first ever video review! Our very own Michael "Mendo" Novelli comes to us (almost) live from across the world to give us his take on one of the least-loved James Bond films, The Man with the Golden Gun!

Special thanks to editor John Sensebe AKA Bargaintuan for all his hard work in putting this together!

“Even if you leave aside the language barrier, it’s apparent that director Claudio Fragasso is certifiably insane. If you have any doubts regarding this, they will be dispelled once you hear him mention his movies in the same breath as Casablanca. Seriously.”

“While we’re in a bit of a lull, I’d just like to say that this is the laziest piece of shit movie I have ever had the displeasure of watching in my entire life.”

“Even by the bonkers rules of Silver Age superheroes, how does this make any sense? Beat up a superhero, get his sidekick? What the hell? Do superheroes usually operate according to the rules and customs of prison inmates? If so, Robin has just become Nightman’s bitch.”

“The recent flap about Kevin Smith, director of Clerks and Chasing Amy, being chased off an airplane because he is too fat is kind of hilarious. A Troma maxim of screenwriting is that fat + fart = funny, and I am certain that Kevin Smith, the fatty that he is, probably farted at the time he was the ejected = ha ha!”

“Fantastic actress, and star of some of my favorite movies, including Bikini a-Go-Go (now called Curse of the Erotic Tiki), Miss Lynne has more to offer the world than a willingness to star in nudity-oriented film spoofs, though those are worth checking out. She’s also a good cook, and advocates good hygiene!”

“Action Comics #176, cover dated January 1953, features Superman being an unbelievable dick, even by Superman standards. He alienates all of his friends, completely trashes his own image, and deliberately turns public opinion against him for rather unimpressive reasons. I almost think the writer came up with this story just for a laugh, never thinking it would actually ever see the light of day.”

“Dan Woods played teacher (and later, principal) Dan Raditch on all five seasons of Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High, and then returned to play Raditch again on Degrassi: The Next Generation for four more seasons. Despite being one of the ‘adults’, to me Mr. Raditch has always been a key ingredient in the Degrassi formula, and the show just hasn’t been the same without him.”

“Yes sir, Lloyd’s come a long way from his days as a location executive, to the head of the longest running independent movie company in America. Troma’s movies cover almost every subject matter, with lots of sex and violence thrown in, all for budgets that wouldn’t buy lunch in most studios.”

“Bill doesn’t seem to have much of a problem with the fan dance, probably because he and Nichelle Nichols are in the same age bracket.”

“In general, attempts to shoehorn real-life celebrities into comics are pretty disastrous, and have the unfortunate side effect of dating the issue before it even hits the presses. Doubly so when the famous person is already dated in and of himself.”

"Roger gets just as much of a kick out of the Product Placement Gauntlet as I do. I don’t think I’ve ever been more proud."

"Having read through a handful of issues, I can confirm that the actual stories are just as baffling and nonsensical as the covers. If you told me Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen was a deliberate postmodern deconstructionist take on the superhero genre, I’d have no trouble believing it."

"You see it time and again in every internet bio of L. Ron Hubbard that he was just some “obscure science-fiction author” who just happened to stumble onto the biggest money making concern since sliced bread. Putting everything else aside, that’s simply not true. Not only was he one of the founding fathers of modern sci-fi, but that wasn’t even what he was famous for."

"This whole season totals well over 100,000 words. Basically, I’ve written a lengthy novel about Degrassi Junior High for free. So all the people who think I complain too much about how much work is involved in updating this site can suck it."

“When I first heard that M. Night Shyamalan was making a horror film called The Happening, I couldn’t help but imagine taking some choice clips from the film and setting them to ‘The Happening’, the theme from that other The Happening.”

"Of course, anyone who’s seen Hobgoblins will be excited to know that Hobgoblins 2 is coming out later this month! Sure, a twenty year gap between films didn’t help Blues Brothers any, but this is Hobgoblins we’re talking about."

"There's nothing celebrities can't do. They can heal the sick, they can feed the poor, and they can end genocide. But most importantly of all, celebrities can engage in personal, hand-to-hand combat with bears in close quarters and escape completely unharmed."