Now Playing -- The Movie Review Podcast

Could the next Legend of the Marvel Cinematic Universe be an unassuming San Francisco parking valet who prefers late night karaoke to taking down his father's infamous Ten Rings terrorist cell?  Martial artist Shang Chi is ready to answer the call for a modern Asian American superhero. But do comedienne Awkwafina, Crouching Tiger star Michelle Yeoh, and the Man Who Would Be The Mandarin (aka Ben Kingsley) offer enough protection for a magical gated community besieged by soul-sucking serpents? Hop aboard the Now Playing bus to find out!

Who can take a franchise, sprinkle it with dew, and get whole new generations buzzing about a gutted corpse or two?  Executive producer Jordan Peele can, because he mixes love for a 1992 Tony Todd slasher with the inflammatory racial politics of Get Out and Us.  Is it performance art or possession that drives a desperate Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Aquaman) to strap on the iconic hook and paint the gentrified Cabrini-Green neighborhood red in 2019?  You can summon the thoughts of the Now Playing hosts anytime you want when you Donate for Candyman today! Hear this preview now then head to NowPlayingPodcast.com/donate to get the full series!

Paranormal investigators engineer a blind date between a homeless wallflower and the noisy poltergeists of Hill House in The Haunting - the original 1963 movie adaptation of Shirley Jackson's classic ghost story.  Director Robert Wise took a break between his Oscar-winning musicals West Side Story and The Sound of Music to craft one of the most beloved haunted house movies of all time!  But will modern audiences find the rooms too old-fashioned and musty to spend time in now? Join Jakob, Stuart, and Arnie as they unpack a classic.

40 years after nerdy Dustin Hoffman made his stand on foreign soil, preppy screenwriter James Marden borrows those iconic cracked spectacles so he can spar with some backwoods football jocks he calls Straw Dogs. Can new director Rod Lurie replicate the original film’s signature brand of cruelty in small town Mississippi? And will disgruntled wife Kate Bosworth stick with her Superman Returns co-star, or surrender to the redneck charms of Alexander Skarsgaard (True Blood)? Jakob, Stuart, and Arnie are locked, loaded, and ready for the 2011 reboot. Listen Now!

Lock the doors, bar the windows, and strap on a pair of headphones!  Now Playing is prepping a retrospective of recent Home Invasion Classics, starting with the original 2008 shocker The Strangers.  Why do three masked pranksters spend the night terrorizing a couple in a remote woodland cottage? And can Liv Tyler (Armageddon) and Scott Speedman (Underworld) appease their unwanted house guests before they become another crime statistic? Invite Stuart, Arnie, Jakob, and a whole lot of fun into your life when you donate for Fall's Silver Level Series.

Dustin Hoffman discovers that Jolly Old England is no refuge from the violence and social unrest of 1971 in the original Straw Dogs.  Writer/director Sam Peckinpah pioneered the home invasion horror movie with this story of an American mathematician channeling his inner savage to beat back an angry mob storming his wife’s modest farm.  Does the 50-year-old classic still have the power to shock modern audiences weaned on a steady diet of Purge sequels? Join Jakob, Stuart, and Arnie as they pry open the teeth of this vicious steel trap. Listen Now!

Marvel might not always appreciate the irreverent humor of director James Gunn, but DC is happy to bring the Guardians of the Galaxy mastermind on board The Suicide Squad. Idris ‘Black Superman’ Elba leads a rebooted team of criminals - including old favorite Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) and new hotshot Peacemaker (John Cena) - to a South American island coup that threatens the interests of Amanda Waller (Viola Davis).  Is Project Starfish just an excuse for the bad guys to show their buttholes? The hosts are dying to share the details. Listen Now!

Dev Patel sets out to prove he's more than a Slumdog Millionaire by pushing away from King Arthur's Round Table, and picking up a sword to do battle with The Green Knight.  Will Stuart, Jakob, and Justin lose their heads over this decidedly sinister spin on a classic 14th Century poem about chivalry?  And can indie director David Lowrey (A Ghost Story) dethrone Peter Jackson and become cinema's next giant of the fantasy genre?  The journey begins when you download the latest Now Playing adventure! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support

Having crapped out on two previous live-action G.I. Joe adaptations Hasbro is ready to roll the dice again, betting big on Snake Eyes. This mute ninja is arguably the most popular Joe, but is he just as cool when he takes off the mask and he's the romantic guy from Crazy Rich Asians? Our hosts won't be silent with their thoughts! Listen now to know if they recommend this film -- and knowing is half the battle. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support

WWII strategy video game Company of Heroes moves the battle lines from computer consoles to movie screens with a stealth 2013 cinematic adaptation.  But will Justin, Arnie, or Stuart decorate rising action star Chad Michael Collins, Vinnie Jones, or any of the other B-list actors in this platoon for their efforts in stopping Hitler from getting the nuke?  And who thought it was a good idea to put demoted Tom Sizemore in charge of the Christmas hams?  Find out if "the Good War" makes for a good entry in the Now Playing Arcade when you Listen Now. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support

Scarlett Johansson breaks away from the Avengers after seven Marvel movies together so that her Russian secret agent Black Widow can finally headline her first solo adventure. Will Natasha Romanoff wipe the red from her ledger by hunting down the man who confined her childhood to war games in a Red Room?  And does super soldier father David Harbour, scientist mom Rachel Weisz, and tag along little sister Florence Pugh back the trained assassin the way Cap, Thor, and Hulk would?  Find out when you join the Now Playing family reunion and Listen Now! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support

A Japanese gangster helps a little girl navigate a treacherous red light district in search of her missing mother in the sprawling adaptation of 2006 video game Yakuza (aka Like A Dragon).  Will the pair find their way through a dense plot involving a Korean assassin, klutzy bank robbers, desperate teenagers, bickering cops, and a flashy psycho who beats underlings and enemies alike with his baseball bat?  And are gamers in for some serious pain with sadistic director Takashi Miike (Audition) at the helm?  It all translates into one crazy night. Listen now! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support

Is new father Dominic Toretto and his family of furious drivers slowing down 20 years into The Fast Saga?  Only when they rocket to space and race their souped-up vehicles in zero gravity!   This time Vin Diesel faces off against long lost brother John Cena, who’s hitched his wagon to sexy IT support Charlize Theron in a bid to hack the planet.  Will the Now Playing hosts be magnetized by all the stunts and globe-trotting spectacle?  Or has F9 thrown a wrench into the franchise with some NOS-huffing plot twists?  Find out when you buckle up and Listen Now! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support

Everyone in 2021 wants to blame Bill Gates for putting microchips in vaccination shots, but the practice was pioneered by Allstate pitchman Dennis Haysbert in the 2016 Dead Rising sequel Endgame.  Hallmark Channel hunk Jesse Metcalfe returns as the intrepid reporter hero, this time leading hackers and marksmen through a city overrun with zombies to rescue his missing camerawoman and avert genocide.  Find out if there’s an Afterlife for this undead video game franchise when you play the latest Now Playing Arcade installment. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support

Why are the Dead Rising all over East Mission, Oregon if the government has a miracle drug that can prevent zombie outbreaks?  It’s all part of Operation Watchtower, a top secret plan to give the military unprecedented access to American lives.  But will anyone find out the truth if TV journalist Jesse Metcalfe insists on airing the story exclusively on middling streaming service Crackle?  And can this 2015 zom-com live up to the irreverence of the 2006 Capcom video game on which it’s based?  Find out on the latest Now Playing Arcade podcast! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support

It’s not The Devil, but Now Playing’s loyal listeners, that made Arnie, Majorie, and Stuart do another Conjuring film after so many hellish experiences in the franchise.  This time the Warrens are heading to court in the 1980s to help a man beat a murder rap by insisting he was possessed by a demon escaped from his waterbed.  Does Ed have the heart to keep fabricating these “true stories”, or are all these cons damning the demonologist to an early grave?  And will Lorraine finally summon green arrows by trailing a series of witch totems?  Listen and find out! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support

Blood-soaked prom queen... tween pyromaniac... axe wielding book critic… just some of the scary women that have leaped from the pages of Stephen King’s horror fiction onto the big screen. Now hardened New England housekeeper Dolores Claiborne is ready for her day in court. Will Kathy Bates eclipse the Oscar-winning work she did in Misery as she stands accused of pushing her cruel employer down the stairs? And will daughter Jennifer Jason Leigh fight for mama’s freedom knowing she did in dad years before? Find out on the latest King-cast. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support

George Clooney and his Ocean’s co-stars made casino heists look easy, but they never had to crack a safe being guarded by an Army of the Dead. Can Dave Bautista and his colorful crew of mercenaries bypass reanimated Elvis impersonators and a zombie white tiger to lay claim to a Vegas jackpot before nukes are dropped?  And is writer-director Zack Snyder pushing his luck by returning to the horror genre 15 years after his Dawn of the Dead remake?  Your chances for a good time always improve when you join the Now Playing hosts at the tables.  Listen Now! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support

Ladies and gentlemen, I have one piece of advice for you. No matter what Jigsaw tells you, there's no escape from a Jigsaw trap. None! Oh, there's pain in a Jigsaw trap, but you don't want pain...you want an escape. And Chris Rock's new movie Spiral: From the Book of Saw shows there's no escape from a Jigsaw trap. So play the game, and our podcast review of Spiral, now. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support

Anthony Mackie shields himself from the pressure of becoming the next Captain America by taking to the sky as The Falcon for Marvel’s second Disney+ miniseries, and it’s made Sebastian Stan angry enough to relapse back into The Winter Soldier.  Can these two set aside their differences long enough to save the world from a group of political extremists enhanced by super-soldier serum?  And do these six episodes go by in a Blip, or is the MCU better suited to the big screen?   Jakob, Arnie, and Stuart smash a lot more than flags when you Listen Now. {Avengers Series} {Marvel Series} {Comic Book Movie Series} {Captain America Series} --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support