Never has the screen brought you a more shocking revelation. Out of World War III came ... The Creation of the Humanoids. Special guest Dawn Garcia joins us in the virtual Speed cave and gives Keanu Reeves a run for his money with an influential sci-fi cult film that asks the question: "How do you apologize to someone for killing them?" You can find this week's film streaming on Amazon Prime and YouTube. Next episode's selection is Dawn of the Dead, which is also streaming for free in glorious 4K on YouTube. Thanks to Andrew Elmore for the amazing opening theme. The closing song, "We Are Robots" by Visions, is available at freemusicarchive.org used under CC License. Until next time, keep your bus above 50!

Better Than Speed

#39 The Creation of the Humanoids

For a refreshing change of pace, who's in the mood for a desert apocalypse? We crawl across the barren landscape of Ana Lily Amirpour's sophomore film, The Bad Batch, and perform our task once again: compare every movie to Speed. With Keanu Reeves as a charismatic cult leader nicknamed "The Dream," what could possibly go wrong? Looking for Ana Lily Amirpour's debut vampire film, A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night? It's free on Kanopy with a local library card. Join us next episode for Andy Warhol's favorite film, The Creation of the Humanoids. It's currently streaming for free on YouTube! Shout out to Andrew Elmore for the great theme song. Feel better, pal! Shout out to Ryan for the ukulele tutelage.

#38 The Bad Batch

This is our podcast and its freaking us out! Join the BTS crew as they take a trip Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. Will they succumb to the film's pills and thrills? Do they love it when a beautiful woman licks between their toes?? Turn on, tune in, drop out and find out!   Check out the soundtrack to the film on Spotify.   Also, donate, join the protests if you can, stay safe and support Black Lives Matter. 

#37 Beyond the Valley of the Dolls

The BTS crew officially begins Season 2's look at cult films by taking a trip deep into the jungles of Werner Herzog's Aguirre, The Wrath of God. What lies down river for our explorers - fever, famine, COVID-19? Tune in and find out. Plus, hang around for a special reading of poetry written by Keanu Reeves. From Aguirre to Zatoichi, the bus boys are back. Uncensored. No holds barred.

#36 Aguirre, the Wrath of God

Aaaaaaand we're back! Season 2 kicks off with a recap of the best and worst films of 2019. Looking for some off-the-beaten path movie recommendations? Want to understand all the buzz at the Oscars? We'll gently hold your hand, just like Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, and walk you through the exploding bus fire that was 2019. For all your split diopter needs, check out Daniel's tumblr page full of more than 100 examples of this technique.

#35 The Speedademy Awards (27th Annual)

War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Big Bus is strength. Celebrate an entire two years of laughter, love and heartbreak in our tumultuous season finale that will permanently alter Better Than Speed history forever. Here's George Orwell's doubleplusgood essay on Politics and the English Language. A huge thank you to all our listeners, guests and fellow hosts who have made this such a fun project over the past two years. We'll be back for season two in a few months. Until then, stay above 50, hotshots.

#34 Season One Finale: 1984

Punch, kick, it's all in the mind. Join us as Zatoichi, the blind swordsman, slices and dices his way through the Edo countryside of Japan in the fan-favorite film Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival. If you've stuck with us through our very extended season 1 tour through the alphabet, you have our sincere thanks. You won't want to miss our season finale, when we take on the last remaining category from the Criterion Collection: films that start with a number. 1984 is our final pick... you don't want to miss the startling conclusion.

#33 Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival

Fourscore and 7 days ago, the BTS crew decided to tackle John Ford’s Young Mr. Lincoln. Is it a classic of the studio system era or a corny piece of hagiography? Lie down, let your mind stand up, and take a listen. Wanna find out what the critics from Cahiers du Cinéma thought of the film? Here's that essay we name dropped in the episode. And please join us next episode for the salacious samurai sensation, Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival. 

#32 Young Mr. Lincoln

Kaiju run amok when we discuss this campy cult classic. Will they subdue Speed, or can Keanu Reeves conquer them all? You can watch The X From Outer Space streaming on the Criterion Channel. You can also catch next week's selection, The Young Mr Lincoln, for free on Tubi. Check out the full backstory on Jan de Bont's unfinished Godzilla film at SciFi Japan. Also, be sure to watch the trailer for the upcoming documentary Where’s My Roy Cohn. Huge thanks to that film’s producer, Micah Baskir, for joining us on this episode. What a great guy!

#31 The X From Outer Space

We wish Ingmar Bergman a happy 101st birthday by comparing his elegiac masterpiece Wild Strawberries to the mortality pondering vehicular mayhem in Speed. Plus, get all your latest Keanu Reeves news in our new segment, KeaNews. Wild Strawberries is available streaming on the Criterion Channel, as well as our selection for the next episode, the kaleidoscopic Japanese kaiju film, The X From Outer Space.

#30 Wild Strawberries

The man, the myth, the legend, Jan de Bont, invited the BTS team to come hang out at the original Speed cave to celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary. The director spills the beans on all the production secrets, terrifying stunts, and classic Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock moments from the iconic film we’ve based our podcast on. Somebody pinch us, we can’t believe this actually happened. Tune back in next episode when we have the nerve to compare Jan’s classic film to Ingmar Bergman’s Wild Strawberries.

#29 Jan de Bont, Director of Speed

Finally: an episode dedicated to gratuitous torture and punishment. Better Than Speed investigates the truth behind Cronenberg's Videodrome, and discovers the graphic violence depicted may not be as fake as they thought. Plus, special guest Dawn Garcia professes her undying love for Keanu Reeve's Speed. Head's up: Videodrome is one of the more intense film selections we've featured so far, so we briefly talk about sexual violence and self-harm in relation to the film's plot in this episode. If you need any resources in dealing with these subjects, please reach out to the friendly folks at crisistextline.org or The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. They're free, anonymous, and truly helpful. Long live the new flesh!

#28 Videodrome

Hope you brought your umbrellas, because we're about to shed projectile tears over this sentimental classic from the French New Wave: Jacque Demy's The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. You can catch the film streaming on the newly launched Criterion Channel, along with John Woo's The Last Hurrah For Chivalry. Be sure to join us next episode for David Cronenberg's Videodrome! Thanks as always to Erin Larson for running the database of all our verdicts over at Letterboxd. And if you want a glimpse into Matt's tortured psyche, you can view some of the musicals he acted in as a child here and here.

#27 The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

We give a Better Than Speed salute to Ernst Lubitsch's powerful and punchy anti-Nazi comedy from 1942. The only thing we hail at Speed HQ is that big blue bus going 50 miles an hour. Make sure to join us for our next episode where we tackle our first musical, Jaques Demy's The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. Plus, if you leave us an iTunes review or recommend our podcast to a friend online, you're automatically entered to win one of our brand new, limited edition Better Than Speed shirts from Daniel. Check out the cool design here!  

#26 To Be Or Not To Be

The glitz, the glamor, the hype! The gold watches and the coveted Keanus! This year's awards ceremony goes off the rails when the best and worst films of 2018 duke it out in a balls-out battle. Plus, your burning questions answered... Was 1999 the best year in cinema history? Will David disown Predator? Will Daniel's popcorn populism save the day? Will Jessica coin a catch phrase? Remember to join us for our next regular episode featuring Ernst Lubitsch's classic comedy To Be Or Not To Be. (Watch out ... there's a mediocre Mel Brooks remake from 1983. Not that one.)

#25 The Speedademy Awards (26th Annual)

Pop quiz, hotshot! Has there ever been a movie better than Speed? We’re watching the entire canon of classic world cinema on a quest to discover a film that tops the Keanu Reeves masterpiece Speed.

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Better Than Speed

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