Now Playing -- The Movie Review Podcast

It’s hard to decide what's worst about working at the Bachman Textile Plant. It could be the lack of air conditioning. It could be the boss who coerces female employees for sex. Actually the worst thing about the mill is probably the giant rat-bat creature that lives in the basement and feeds on the workers. Such is the plot of Graveyard Shift, the 1990 film based on Stephen King's 1970 short story. Can a mischief of rats, a giant puppet beast, and Brad Dourif scare Arnie, Jakob, and Stuart to death? Listen to find out!

What do a man trying to quit smoking, a man running away with his lover, and a troll have in common? They're all stories told in Cat's Eye, the 1985 anthology film starring Drew Barrymore. The film has adaptations of two stories from Stephen King's Night Shift collection, and a third newly written for the screen. Are the original tales scarier than the new one? Are these stories even intended to frighten the audience? Listen to Stuart, Jakob, and Arnie's review to find out! Arnie is also reviewing all the original King Night Shift short stories at the Books & Nachos podcast! Head there now to hear reviews of the short stories "Quitters Inc." and "The Ledge" which were adapted in Cat's Eye!

Stephen King has over 50 feature films based on his writings. But beyond the feature films are hundreds of student-made short films based on King's short stories, completely authorized by the author. In an attempt to help student filmmakers King sells non-exclusive rights for one dollar; he calls these films his "Dollar Babies." As part of the contract these films can not be distributed or sold; however, in the 1980s three Dollar Babies were renegotiated and saw professional release. On a direct-to-VHS series called The Night Shift Collection student adaptations of King's short stories "Children of the Corn" (title changed to Disciples of the Crow for film), "The Boogeyman", and "The Woman in the Room" were distributed--the last title directed by Frank Darabont, who would go on to direct professional King adaptations The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and The Mist! So join Arnie, Jakob, and Stuart as they go back to school and review The Night Shift Collection!

Robocop is back! After two theatrical sequels that quickly declined in quality, a syndicated TV series, and a series of TV movies, the cyborg cop is back in theaters with a totally new take on the tale of Alex Murphy. Gone is Verhoeven's ultra-violence and satrical take on 80's business, and instead Robocop is now a state of the art tactical killing machine, dressed in black. Does this new angle on the robot cop work, or should Murphy have stayed dead? Listen to Arnie, Jakob, and Stuart's review to find out!

It's been a long road but we have reached the climax of the Robocop: Prime Directives series. Kaydick and Robocable have infiltrated OCP, planning to use their SAINT computer system to spread the human and machine killing Legion virus throughout Delta City. Only Robocop, his son James, and Kaydick's former lover Anne can stop him. After three cheaply made films, is there anything in this final movie to redeem the series, or does it Crash and Burn? Listen to find out!

There is a new threat to Delta City, and his name is Kaydick. Having invented Legion, a virus that will destroy both technology and people, Kaydick is ready to annihilate all of humanity, and with RoboCable as his slave bodyguard it may just happen. Can Robocop avoid OCP's Systems Support team, and his own son, long enough to save the city? And can this film give Prime Directives a much-needed Resurrection? Listen to our review of the third Robocop: Prime Directives films to find out!

Robocop has been feeling obsolete after a decade of paroling Delta City, but he's not ready to be shut down yet! When he is framed for a series of destructive acts, actually done by his former police partner who has also been turned into a cyborg, Robocop must go on the run and hide from OCP and their lethal Systems Support Team. Does the addition of RoboCable double the pleasure of the second Robocop: Prime Directives films, or will the Now playing hosts have a Meltdown? Listen to find out!

Robocop, the franchise, was considered obsolete, broken down, and forgotten in the early 21st century. So what better than to make four films in which Robocop, the character, is considered obsolete, broken down, and forgotten? Such is the premise of the Robocop - Prime Directives. Taking place 10 years after the death of Alex Murphy Robocop still patrols the streets of Delta City hunting the mass murderer Bone Machine. Does this R-rated made-for-TV movie bring back the sprit of the original Robocop? Listen to our review of the first Prime Directives film Dark Justice, to find out! Then join us this Friday for the next Prime Directives review, Meltdown!

Clarence Boddicker couldn't kill Officer Alex Murphy--the policeman rose again as the unstoppable Robocop. But what Boddicker started director Fred Dekker finished with Robocop 3. With a new man in the robosuit, a robot ninja, and a jetpack, the third Robocop film was both a critical and box office failure that would end the original franchise, save for some television projects, and doom Murphy to 21 years of obsolescence. But can the film, written by comic cult icon Frank Miller, be as bad as its reputation? Listen to Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob's review to find out!

When Alex Murphy was killed in the line of duty OCP brought in their best scientists to rebuild him as the bigger, stronger Robocop. When Paul Verhoeven chose to make Total Recall instead of Robocop 2 Orion Pictures also turned to icons of the genre--the Irvin Kershner, director of The Empire Strikes Back, and Frank Miller, writer of the hit Batman comic The Dark Knight Returns. With these big names behind the camera, Peter Weller back in the Robosuit, and a much bigger budget, does Robocop 2 make the original obsolete? Listen to Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob to find out!

Robocop has been the star of numerous comic books, TV series, cartoons, video games, and more. His legacy is even worthy of a cinematic remake, hitting theaters in February, 2014. It's quite the achievement for a character that no director wanted to touch until Dutch filmmaker Paul Verhoeven brought his ultra-violent, satirical aesthetic to the character. The film was originally given an X-rating for violence and decried for its gratuitous gore, but it was a box office success and became a cult hit. Now, in preparation for the new Robocop film, Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob look back at the original. Do the film's sci-fi elements and cynical view of corporate America hold up today? Listen to find out!

While the frequency of their collaborations has slowed, Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese are together again in 2013's Oscar-bating docu-comedy The Wolf of Wall Street. DiCaprio plays real-life Wall Street criminal Jordan Belfort, who lived a sex, drug, and money fueled lifestyle before his short stint in prison. Does Scorsese's style work when showcasing white-collar crime families? Listen to Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob's review to find out!

It may only take a drop of water to make a new gremlin, but it took six years and a slew of writers, directors, and concepts to make a new Gremlins film. Finally original director Joe Dante returned in 1990 to give us Gremlins 2: The New Batch. With a gang of genetically modified gremlins taking a bite out of the Big Apple this film opted for more comedy than horror. Did that work for our hosts? Listen to this final Now Playing of 2013 to find out!

In the mid 1980s there was no bigger name in film than Steven Spielberg. As a director he had a string of major hits, including E.T. which became the top grossing film of all time. Even films he didn't direct but only produced, such as Poltergeist and The Goonies, benefited from having his name high on the title. Also in this category was Gremlins, the 1984 film about a small town overrun by small, evil creatures. Directed by The Howling's Joe Dante, this film provided a combination of horror, comedy, and Christmas. Now join Stuart, Arnie, and Jakob as they review this film, from the cuddly Mogwai to the creepy Gremlins to that lingering smell that makes Kate hate Christmas.

Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is considered a horror classic, but original Shining author Stephen King never felt it lived up to his original vision. So in 1997, for the novel's 20th anniversary, King and longtime collaborator Mick Garris reunited to bring The Shining to audiences as an ABC mini-series. While time has not granted this series the iconic status of Kubrick's film, is King's vision one worth seeing? Listen to Arnie, Jakob, and Stuart's review to find out!

​Stephen King is a best selling, award winning horror author. Stanley Kubrick ​is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. When these two came together a horror classic was born -- The Shining. It has scared audiences for over thirty years, and now Stuart, Arnie, and Jakob are reviewing it as the next film in the Stephen King Movie Retrospective Series. But King famously dislikes the movie. Will any of our hosts agree? Listen to find out!

When the first TV miniseries based on 'Salems Lot came out in 1979 Stephen King was an up-and-coming author. His novels had become bestsellers based of popularity of Brian DePalma's film Carrie, but he was not the brand name that he would become. As such the TV version of Salem's Lot ended with middling ratings. But by 2004 the author had not only been crowned the King of horror, he was also the monarch of miniseries, with The Stand, It, and others giving big ratings to networks. As such, as the 30th anniversary of 'Salem's Lot's publication approached, another miniseries was made. Starring The Stand's Rob Lowe, as well as Donald Sutherland and Rutger Hauer, does this adaptation provide more frights than the original? Listen to Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob's review to find out!

A Return to Salem's Lot has a town called Salem's Lot and vampires. Beyond that, this direct-to-video release has no ties to Tobe Hooper's 1979 TV mini-series or Stephen King's original novel. But helmed by the director of The Stuff and It's Alive, is this 80s film a fun time? Listen to Arnie, Jakob, and Stuart's review to find out!

When Carrie came out in 1976 Stephen King was an unknown author, but after the success of Brian DePalma's film the author was put in the spotlight. His older books became paperback bestsellers, and his new books topped the charts in hardcover. So expectations were high in 1979 when 'Salem's Lot, the second adaptation of King's work, hit screens. But rather than being in movie theaters, King's 1976 vampire novel was produced as a television mini-series. With horror master Tobe Hooper directing could this small-screen film live up to the quality of big-screen King horror? Listen to find out!

It will be 2015 before the Avengers assemble on the big screen again, but Disney and Marvel will fill that time with films focusing on individual Avengers and their disassembled heroics. Earlier this year we had Iron Man 3, and now Disney hopes to catch lightning in a bottle again with the help of a thunder god in Thor: The Dark World. The mighty Avenger must once again fighting an ancient enemy of Asgard, continue arguing with Odin over how best to rule the kingdom, and all the while try to romance his human love interest Jane Foster. Are the Now Playing hosts excited for Thor's return, or just glad to have Loki back on screen? Listen to our review to find out!   {Marvel Series} {Avengers Series} {Comic Book Movies Series} {Thor Series}