An *AD FREE* movie review podcast that traverses the stream of Hollywood sequels, reboots, and franchises by reviewing every installment in a series, start to finish.
An *AD FREE* movie review podcast that traverses the stream of Hollywood sequels, reboots, and franchises by reviewing every installment in a series, start to finish.
An *AD FREE* movie review podcast that traverses the stream of Hollywood sequels, reboots, and franchises by reviewing every installment in a series, start to finish.
It’s Arthur Fleck, better known as Joker! Before becoming Batman’s #1 nemesis, the Clown Prince of Crime was just a struggling stand-up comic doing his best to make the public smile on the mean streets of Gotham. Can Joaquin Phoenix convince the Now Playing hosts that heartless millionaires like mayoral candidate (and father of Bruce) Thomas Wanye are the true enemies of the people? And is Hangover director Todd Phillips making a Scorsese inspired tragedy, or Trumpian comedy, out of this atypical DC Comics origin story? Listen and find out!
Oct 09 2019
2hr 11mins
Ten years ago Marvel Comics gambled their entire existence, using all their remaining IP as collateral, on the idea that they could make superhero films better than anyone else. 18 movies later, Marvel Studios makes their biggest bet yet - a billion dollars that audiences will love “the most ambitious crossover event in history” and one gaudy gold glove! Is more the merrier when it comes to superheroes on screen, or are Earth’s Mightiest Heroes set up for an epic fail? Join Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob now as they review Avengers: Infinity War!
May 02 2018
2hr 40mins
It was inevitable that the Marvel Cinematic Universe would reach an Endgame after producing 21 blockbusters over the course of 11 years. Can Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Black Widow, and Hawkeye undo the devastation of Thanos’ Infinity War by implementing Ant-Man’s crazy "time heist" plot? And are IMAX screens big enough to contain the hordes of superheroes fighting for the spotlight in the sprawling final battle? Hosts Jakob, Arnie, and Stuart aim for the heart and the head as they assemble once more for a gigantic, in-depth review. Hear it now!
May 01 2019
3hr 17mins
Episode VIII finds General Leia (Carrie Fisher), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), Finn (John Boyega), and a dwindling number of Resistance fighters beating a hasty retreat from the rising armies of Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis). Their only hope lies with recently located Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) - The Last Jedi in the universe. But can Master Luke trust feisty apprentice Rey (Daisy Ridley) to learn the ways of The Force without succumbing to the Dark Side like his previous pupil, the murderous tyrant Kylo Ren (Adam Driver)? Join Arnie, Jakob, and Stuart for a deep dive into the biggest movie of 2017.
Dec 20 2017
2hr 42mins
The First Avenger is back in the latest film from the unstoppable Marvel Cinematic Universe. With a mysterious new assassin out to kill Captain America and S.H.I.E.L.D. turning on him, it's up to the Star Spangled man along with his friends Black Widow and new hero The Falcon to save the day. Is this a good installment in Marvel's Avengers series or just a stalling tactic until we get The Avengers: Age of Ultron in 2015? Listen to Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob's review to find out!
Apr 08 2014
2hr 15mins
May 05 2015
2hr 30mins
Fans of Star Wars comics, books, video games, and cartoons have long known the universe is ripe for adventures outside of the Skywalker family tree. But with Rogue One this type of story comes to the big screen for the first time. Detailing the group of rebels who steal the original Death Star plans, this film was seen as a creative risk by Lucasfilm. The result was one of the biggest opening weekends of all time; another super-successful Star Wars movie. But was it a story that needed to be told? Join the Now Playing Podcast hosts to find out!
Dec 20 2016
2hr 20mins
For eighteen years Hugh Jackman has played Logan - the popular X-Men hero also known as Wolverine. His first appearance in 2000's X-Men helped launch the modern age of cinematic superheros. But now, after playing Wolverine nine times Jackman is ready to hang up his claws. His planned final performance is in Logan -- a violent and dour film that reteams Jackman with The Wolverine director James Mangold. Did Jackman save the best Wolverine for last? Join the Now Playing Podcast hosts to find out!
Mar 07 2017
2hr 7mins
May 10 2016
2hr 14mins
James Gunn defied all expectations. 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy was the first Marvel studios film to go cosmic, and with stars like a raccoon and a talking tree, it could have easily crashed. Instead it has become many fans' favorite entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now Gunn is back, as are all the Guardians. The stakes are higher. Does this movie rock as much as the first? Join Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob to find out!
May 09 2017
1hr 59mins
Aug 10 2016
2hr 28mins
Star Wars. It twice became the biggest movie of all time. It has launched a billion dollar empire of movies, toys, and merchandise. It has even started a religion. But now, under the ownership of Disney, the Star Wars universe is set to expand infinitely with a new movie each year -- starting with Episode VII: The Force Awakens. Now Arnie, Jakob, and Stuart go back to where it all started -- the 1977 original George Lucas film Star Wars (a.k.a. Episode IV: A New Hope). Is the Force still with Star Wars almost 40 years after its release? And which version is better, the Special Edition or the original? Listen to Now Playing to find out, then join us weekly for more Star Wars reviews culminating with The Force Awakens!
Sep 16 2015
2hr 30mins
Spider-Man has finally come home! While Marvel Studios started without its most popular characters, an agreement between studios (aided by some North Korean hackers) has now made it so Marvel's most super of heroes, Spider-Man, can stand alongside the other cinematic Avengers. But this is this third big-screen incarnation of the wall crawler in 10 years. Does this one swing higher than Raimi's and Webb's movies? Listen to find out!
Jul 11 2017
2hr 26mins
Peter Parker leaves his friendly neighborhood Spider-Man alter ego behind for a journey Far From Home meant to alleviate the loss of mentor Tony Stark. But S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Nick Fury won’t let the 16-year-old tourist shirk his Avenger duties while on European holiday, rebranding him “Night Monkey” so that Peter can fight elemental monsters alongside new superhero Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal). Can the web-slinger still make time to kiss Zendaya on the Eiffel Tower while keeping Venice afloat, or London Bridge from falling down? Listen and find out!
Jul 10 2019
2hr 12mins
Nov 10 2014
2hr 12mins
Before they reach their End Game, Marvel Studios takes audiences back to where it all began for S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Nick Fury (Samuel “Mother-Flurken” Jackson) - a 1995 close encounter with Captain Marvel. Can Brie Larson’s space invader rectify where her loyalties lie when warring factions of Kree and Skrulls descend upon Earth to claim Annette Bening’s lightspeed technology? And when will the femalien be ready to use her flaming fist power? Find out if Stuart, Arnie, and Jakob had a Mar-Velous time revisiting the Grunge Era when you Listen Now!
Mar 13 2019
2hr 25mins
Chadwick Boseman bounds to the screen as Black Panther - the latest Marvel superhero to leap from comic pages into his own blockbuster movie. Will the newly crowned African Avenger continue to hide his technologically-advanced kingdom from the exploitative Western world? Or will Oakland militant Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) usurp the vibranium throne and use Wakandan firepower to finally Kill Whitey? The revolution will not be televised… but colonizers Arnie, Jakob, and Stuart will certainly podcast about it all on this epic show. Listen now!
Feb 20 2018
2hr 11mins
Return to Haddonfield with Brock, Arnie, and Stuart as they celebrate the 40th anniversary of Halloween with a podcast review of the blockbuster 2018 requel (rebooted sequel)! Former babysitter Laurie Strode is the one stalking Michael Myers this time, as the captured killer is transferred to a new sanitarium. Can Jamie Lee Curtis’s pistol-packin’ grandma hit the bull’s eye without original director John Carpenter? And will her therapist daughter Karen (Judy Greer), or rebellious grandkid Allyson (Andi Madichak), inherit her Scream Queen title? Listen Now and find out!
Oct 24 2018
1hr 50mins
Sometimes a movie becomes something more than a film--it becomes a movement. That seems to be the case with Wonder Woman. It has become celebrated as not only a great DC movie but also the first wonder-ful female-led superhero film, and a breakthrough for a female director. Beyond the politics, though, how much does this movie improve the Snyder-verse of DC Comics films? Join Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob to find out!
Jun 06 2017
2hr 21mins
It’s 2016, and The Losers Club is all grown up and ready for a rematch with It. Chapter II finds Pennywise waking from his 27 year nap hangry, homicidal, and hot to dance with old Derry foes Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, and Bill Hader. Can arcade tokens, yearbook pages, a bunch of shower caps, and other artifacts from an ‘80s childhood be used to complete a Native American ritual that will ‘eighty-six’ this shape-shifting space clown for good? Listen and Find Out!
Sep 11 2019
3hr 8mins
Life is tough for the Son of Kong. Everyone expects him to follow in his father’s massive footsteps, and scale the box office heights of the first film. But this quickie sequel has different monkey business in mind as it sends scandalized movie director Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) back to Skull Island for romantic hijinks with an orphaned circus performer. Will they - or Now Playing hosts Jakob, Arnie, and Stuart - find any buried treasure while watching little albino Kong take on dinosaurs, cave bears, and a shady Norweigian sailor? Listen and find out!
Dec 11 2019
58mins
Jakob, Arnie, and Stuart find themselves in an Empire State Of Mind as they begin a four month wrestling match with King Kong - the Eighth Wonder of the World! This towering franchise has cast an 86-year-long shadow over film history, beginning with the big ape’s 1933 blockbuster debut! Head back to Skull Island with Now Playing, and discover if this legendary movie star still has the strength to make audiences scream like Fay Wray, or beat down 50 foot tall lizard Godzilla for their 2020 theatrical showdown. Listen Now!
Dec 04 2019
1hr 53mins
Playstation heroes Ratchet and Clank starred in 12 video game adventures together before making the quantum leap to movie theaters for a fast-paced (and okay, financially unsuccessful) 2016 animated feature. Did Earthlings miss a memorable screen pairing? And can this one-of-a-kind alien mechanic and his defective warbot bestie stop villains voiced by Paul Giamatti and Sylvester Stallone from reconfiguring the most beautiful planets in the solar system? No quarters needed to play the latest Now Playing Arcade installment. Listen Now!
Nov 27 2019
1hr 16mins
'70s TV execs discounted Aaron Spelling's idea for a Charlie's Angels show because there was no man to come and save them. Well, a lot has changed in the last 40 years and the women are just fine saving themselves...and even some men who get in trouble. Thus we have the Elizabeth Banks produced, directed, co-written, and co-starring 2019 Charlie's Angels. But in a post #TimesUp world is there still place for an Aaron Spelling-like jiggle fest? And if not, what does that leave for the Angels? Join us now to find out!
Nov 20 2019
1hr 56mins
Little Danny barely escaped Jack Nicholson and the ghosts of the Overlook Hotel back in 1980. Now grown-up Dan Torrance (Ewan McGregor) - nicknamed Doctor Sleep - is fighting the demon of alcoholism, as well as a pack of vampiric gypsies hoping to eat the soul of a powerful child clairvoyant. Will this Shining sequel leave Kubrick fans steaming? Or can new director Mike Flanagan honor the classic movie while bringing the story back to Stephen King’s original intentions? Join the hosts as they pick up bats and axes and come to play forever and ever!
Nov 13 2019
1hr 51mins
Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) thought she saved humanity from a SkyNet future of robot domination. So it’s ironic that new cybernetic menace Legion has come online in the year 2020, and it’s now Sarah’s Dark Fate to protect new target Dani (Natalia Reyes) from a new Terminator. Will the arrival of augmented future soldier Grace (Mackenzie Davis) increase their chances of success? Or is it curtains for James Cameron’s flagship franchise (and if so, are they polka dot or butterfly drapes)? Find out when you listen now!
Nov 06 2019
1hr 55mins
For nearly a decade Devil's Rejects stars Bill Moseley and Sid Haig, plus series creator Rob Zombie, said the series--like its main characters--was dead. 10 years and several flops later, the Firefly family is back from the dead! How does Zombie explain this away? And are these 3 From Hell as dangerous in 1988 as they were in the '70s? Join our three podcast hosts from hell, Marjorie, Brock, and Arnie, to find out!
Oct 30 2019
1hr 34mins
Rule #1 when you’re producing a sequel: Bring back everyone that made the first film successful. It took a decade, and probably more than a few Twinkies, but director Ruben Fleischer has managed to "Double Tap" Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Abigail Breslin, and Emma Stone for a second trip to Zombieland! Can the foursome teach Generation Z how to fight a ferocious new strain of undead? And is the Oval Office or Graceland a better place to wait out the apocalypse? Find out when you become a Now Playing Silver Level Donor!
Oct 26 2019
7mins
Now Playing Arcade podcasters Justin, Arnie, and Stuart thought that first-person shooter Doom had already done a bang-up job destroying the video game’s appeal on the big screen with the Dwayne Johnson/Karl Urban 2005 movie. Second chapter Annihilation returns to finish the job with a squad of no-name Marines on a mission to mow down rubber suit demons and zombies in lab coats on a Martian moonbase. Have the hosts opened a portal to hell or the next level in camp comedy? Strap on some protective armor and head into the fray. Listen Now!
Oct 23 2019
1hr 17mins
Rule #1: if you want to survive the 2009 horror-comedy Zombieland: Find a Friend in Now Playing!
Oct 19 2019
7mins
Charlie's Angels returned in 2003...and so did Demi Moore. The superstar actress' Q-Score had fallen in the decade since her big hits Indecent Proposal and Ghost, but she was set to rise again as former Angel Madison Lee in this action sequel. Does she shine against then-box office champ Cameron Diaz? Does Moore even get enough screen time when squeezed into a cast with Bernie Mac, Crispin Glover, Justin Theroux, Robert Patrick, Shia LaBeouf, Luke Wilson, John Cleese, and Matt LeBlanc? Get your Zass over here and listen now!
Oct 16 2019
1hr 32mins
It’s Arthur Fleck, better known as Joker! Before becoming Batman’s #1 nemesis, the Clown Prince of Crime was just a struggling stand-up comic doing his best to make the public smile on the mean streets of Gotham. Can Joaquin Phoenix convince the Now Playing hosts that heartless millionaires like mayoral candidate (and father of Bruce) Thomas Wanye are the true enemies of the people? And is Hangover director Todd Phillips making a Scorsese inspired tragedy, or Trumpian comedy, out of this atypical DC Comics origin story? Listen and find out!
Oct 09 2019
2hr 11mins
Good news! In the new Willennium, cancer has been cured. Bad news! New York City is now full of bloodthirsty Darkseekers who want to get jiggy with last man on earth Will Smith in the third telling of I Am Legend. Should the buff virologist spend less of his day doing pull-ups, deer hunting in Times Square, and watching Shrek, and put more energy towards reversing Krippin Virus? Or is life in the Big Apple better when you only have to make conversation with a dog and a bunch of mannequins? Get your Now Playing fix when you become a Silver Level Donor.
Oct 05 2019
16mins
"Girl Power!" The sentiment continues, but the look has changed dramatically since the era of Spice Girls and, this week's movie review, 2000's Charlie's Angels. Listen now as our hosts remember what feminism looked like--in an unzipped mechanic's jumpsuit--as Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu update the Angels for a new millennium!
Oct 02 2019
1hr 30mins
Hollywood legend Charlton Heston went from Alpha male on Planet of the Apes to The Omega Man - the last human alive in a Los Angeles devastated by germ warfare. Does the NRA spokesman have enough bullets to fend off the hordes of mutant albinos that besiege his "honky paradise" each night? And do all those vaccines protect Chuck from his lustful feelings for foxy "last woman" Rosalind Cash? Join the Silver Level Family this fall to hear Stuart, Arnie, and Jakob burn down this ‘70s camp classic. Donate Now for our Fall/Winter 2019 Donation Drive!
Sep 27 2019
14mins
It's been 11 years. The world has changed. John Rambo, however, has not--he's just tried to keep a lid on it. That lid blows when his "niece" is abducted by a Mexican cartel, and Rambo is out for Last Blood. Should this be Rambo's final mission? Join Arnie, Brock, and Jakob for this review to find out!
Sep 25 2019
1hr 41mins
40 years before Will Smith single-handedly took on a New York City overrun with walking dead, horror movie icon Vincent Price searched for a cure for vampirism as The Last Man On Earth. How well does the lonely, lustful shut-in navigate the first official zombie apocalypse ever filmed? You’ll find out when you sign up for Silver Level this fall, and follow Stuart, Jakob, and Arnie as they dissect all the cinematic permutations of the classic Richard Matheson novel I Am Legend. Donate Now for our Fall/Winter 2019 Donation Drive!
Sep 20 2019
19mins
Once upon a time, there were three little girls who went to the police academy...
Sep 18 2019
1hr 6mins
It’s 2016, and The Losers Club is all grown up and ready for a rematch with It. Chapter II finds Pennywise waking from his 27 year nap hangry, homicidal, and hot to dance with old Derry foes Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, and Bill Hader. Can arcade tokens, yearbook pages, a bunch of shower caps, and other artifacts from an ‘80s childhood be used to complete a Native American ritual that will ‘eighty-six’ this shape-shifting space clown for good? Listen and Find Out!
Sep 11 2019
3hr 8mins
30 years after massacring trees and dominating bookshelf space everywhere, Stephen King’s monster novel It transformed into the biggest horror movie of all-time! Chapter One focuses on The Losers Club - a group of misfit kids investigating the stranger things occurring in their cursed small town. Will stuttering leader Bill (Jaeden Martell) find his missing brother alive in the city’s waterworks? Can new kid on the block Ben (Jeremy Ray Taylor) woo crush Beverly (Sophia Lillis) while fighting off bullies with switchblades? Get down with the clown when you listen now!
Sep 04 2019
1hr 59mins