Now Playing -- The Movie Review Podcast

In 12 Monkeys Bruce Willis plays James Cole - a man from the future who’s come to witness the start of an extinction-level pandemic. Or he’s insane, filled with a Cassandra complex. He encounters Brad Pitt’s Jeffrey Goines, who is insane, but also may know more than he’s letting on. Yet perhaps the real time traveler is nonconformist, eclectic director Terry Gilliam whose underrated 1995 film foreshadows both stars’ roles in more popular films. Now, join Arnie, Stuart, and guest host Matt as they travel back to 1995 and examine this dystopian sci-fi film.

Saw director James Wan wished to leave the horror genre behind when he signed on to adapt Death Sentence - author Brian Garfield's previously unmade sequel novel to Death Wish. A buttoned-down Kevin Bacon cuts loose, kicks off his Sunday shoes, and follows in the footsteps of Charles Bronson's pistol packin' Paul Kersey once a street gang targets his perfect family. Listen now and find out if Arnie, Jakob, and Stuart give this failed reboot a stay of execution.

It was Charles Bronson's wish to never reprise the role of vigilante Paul Kersey after Death Wish IV. So movie producers found $5 million reasons for the 72 year old actor to star as their Face of Death one last time. This fifth chapter sends Kersey into the underbelly of New York City's garment district, where the tough guy hunts the cannoli-loving transvestite mobsters who disfigured his clothing designer fiancee and stole away his surrogate daughter. Do Jakob, Stuart and Arnie find this fashion forward finale a bad turn on the catwalk, or a fitting end to the Bronson era?  Listen and find out.  

How does a DC Comics super-team come together when the Man of Steel is dead, Batman is suicidal, Wonder Woman won't lead, and the most promising recruits are an aloof Merman, a renegade robot, and a neurotic runner who'd rather eat than fight?  It will take the Classic Rock threat of Steppenwolf, reuniting with the Mother Boxes of Invention, to unify this Justice League.  But is there any hope for Recommendations from Stuart, Jakob, and Arnie when the clashing visions of director Zack Snyder and last minute replacement Joss Whedon create such a chaotic production?  Find out who wins and loses when you listen now! Thirsting for even more JUSTICE? Become a Now Playing Patron to hear an extended version of this review--over 30 minutes longer! Details are on the Now Playing Patron site!

Paul Kersey gets topical with his fourth killing spree in Death Wish 4: The Crackdown! This time he's going to whack the crack dealers in Los Angeles. It's the type of film only Cannon Films could make. But is it any good? Join Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob to find out!

The God of Thunder was ready to change his image after Now Playing and so many others hammered his solo films as the silliest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Third effort Ragnarok not only puts Thor in the arena with longtime frenemies Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston), but pits him against powerful new characters Hela (Cate Blanchett), Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), and Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum).  Should the studly superhero have been so quick to chop off his golden hair, or would those shears have been better served cutting out some jokes in this 130 minute epic? Find out if hosts Arnie, Jakob and Stuart rain on Marvel's latest parade by listening now!   {Marvel Series} {Avengers Series} {Comic Book Movies Series} {Thor Series}

Seven Year's Later...it's again Halloween; it's again Now Playing reviewing Saw! The "torture porn" genre had fallen out of vogue, and Saw's grosses fell to match. Now, not quite a decade later, is the world ready for more traps and (plot) twists? Does the Saw cut as deep in its eighth iteration? Strap on your bucket and join Arnie, Jakob, and Marjorie to find out!

Texas Chainsaw 3D was a success in 2013, but the fast-tracked sequel got mired in studio bureaucracy and changes in creative teams. Finally, nearly five years later, comes Leatherface--a prequel to Tobe Hooper's original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. It has been available to DirecTV customers for the past month, but now it's streaming through all major platforms. Can this new prequel give a better origin story for Leatherface than Platinum Dunes' attempt? Join Arnie, Stuart, and Brock to find out!

Paul Kersey has returned to New York (or London). He didn't come intending to fight a gang war, but he finds his war buddy gunned down. It's a fight Kersey didn't start, but he intends to finish it in Death Wish 3.  It's the first Death Wish that is officially a Cannon film. Does their Over the Top aesthetic help Charles Bronson's franchise? Join the Now Playing Podcast hosts to find out!

In the early '80s, the dawn of home video, it would be easy to think movies had a lifespan of only four years. But Ridley Scott's creation Blade Runner escaped box-office failure to find its own life. Its imagery still influences artists 35 years after being released, and it's spawned novels, video games, and more. But now this dystopian vision returns to big screens with a sequel: Blade Runner 2049. Harrison Ford returns as Deckard, a man with secrets sought after by a new Blade Runner played by Ryan Gosling.  Can director Denis Villeneuve craft a vision that we'll still be discussing in 2052? Listen to this review to find out!

Paul Kersey has lived a peaceful life for years in Los Angeles with his girlfriend, his daughter, and his housekeeper. Yet his tranquil existence will once more be shattered by a group of criminals who will assault his family. Now Paul is back on the streets, stalking the streets of Skid Row, looking for revenge. Does this Death Wish hit as hard as the original? Listen to this episode of Now Playing to find out!

Three children were all born during the solar eclipse. Does that mean these little sociopaths have no soul? Their birthday wish...is for you to die! That's the plot of Bloody Birthday, a 1981 film "so shocking" it couldn't see wide release until 1986! How does this Birthday surprise stack up against similar-themed slashers? Wish co-host Stuart a happy birthday as we cut into this Patron-selected film!

Fledgling spy Eggsy Unwin (Taron Egerton) barely had time to assume his place as Galahad before chirpy drug czar Poppy Adams (Julianne Moore) reduced the whole Kingsman Round Table to rubble. Now the English gentleman must dust off his suit and accept assistance from newfound American allies Jeff Bridges, Halle Berry, Channing Tatum, and Pedro Pascal.  How many shots of whiskey will it take to ply recommends from Yank hosts Stuart, Arnie, and Jakob?  Their review of this highly anticipated sequel is finally available to listeners who missed the September live-stream podcast!     

In 1974 Charles Bronson made his entry in the self-defense/revenge genre with Death Wish. The film is a gritty look at a New Yorker who is pushed to the breaking point by the city's rampant crime. Based on a novel, is this just another grim exploitation flick, or does it Wish to be something more? Load up with Stuart, Arnie, and Jakob as they begin their series reviewing all the Death Wish films--ending with the Eli Roth/Bruce Willis reboot this November!

First came Halloween. Then Friday the 13th. Soon after, no holiday was safe! New Year's Evil, Mother's Day, Graduation Day. Prom Night...all became occasions for slasher fests. Then in 1981 it was time to blow out the candles with Happy Birthday to Me, a murder-mystery slasher starring Little House on the Prairie's Melissa Sue Anderson, and Superman's dad Glenn Ford.  It's Now Playing co-host Arnie's birthday today, and listener Matt has chosen this to be his gift! Is it all he wished for? Join him, Stuart, and Jakob to find out!

Marvel's Inhumans are the result of combining alien DNA with humans. In that way they're neither human nor alien, they're inhuman. Likewise Marvel's Inhumans is a halfbreed--it's neither television nor film. It is the TV series pilot premiering this weekend on IMAX screens. Is it worth the IMAX ticket price to see a shorter version of network television four weeks early? Join Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob in this hair-raising review to find out!

Philip K. Dick's novel Radio Free Albemuth was published in 1985, three years after the author's death and nine years after the book was written. Yet with the author's name as propellant, this discarded novel was optioned for a low-budget movie. After lengthy post-production the film Radio Free Albemuth was released direct-to-VOD in 2014.  Can the acting (and singing) of Alanis Morissette help audiences swallow this film's extra-terrestrial premise? Listen to find out!

Do you remember Arnold Schwarzenegger's 1990 movie Total Recall? If not, Columbia Pictures will remind you with their wholesale retelling of that film. Featuring Colin Farrell in the lead this movie was quickly forgotten in theaters. But now, after much listener demand, the Now Playing hosts give Len Wiseman his props! So join Stuart, Brock, and Jakob for this return to our Philip K Dick Retrospective Series!

Annabelle was a prequel to The Conjuring. Now we go even further back in time with Annabelle: Creation--the story of the doll's manufacture and first possession. These films hit big at the box office, but can this demonic doll break the curse of getting no recommends from the Now Playing hosts? Listen to find out!

Over the span of 34 years Stephen King wrote his Dark Tower saga of books, amassing more than 4,000 pages of lore. The story features the last legendary Gunslinger on a quest to ward off evil forces and reach The Dark Tower. The story has often been called "unfilmable" but, after nearly two decades of trying, the story has come to the screen. Is it an epic fit for King, or another dark tale that didn't survive the leap from page to screen? Join Stuart, Jakob, and Arnie on their quest to unravel the mystery and find out!