Now Playing -- The Movie Review Podcast

In 1967 Bond fans were very anxious for the next installment in the series, with Sean Connery returning in You Only Live Twice. But that's not the movie we're reviewing! A few short weeks before You Only Live Twice came out, the first "unofficial" James Bond film came out--Casino Royale! A broad Bond spoof with several big name actors, a licensing deal allowed Columbia Pictures to put out this competing James Bond film, and would be the only theatrical adaptation of Ian Flemming's first James Bond novel for almost 40 years. How does this movie fit into the rest of the Bond series? Listen to Brock, Stuart, and Arnie's review to find out! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support

James Bond's fourth theatrical outing has the superspy enjoying the Bahama sun, facing off against SPECTRE to retrieve two stolen nukes! Featuring a bevy of henchmen and extensive underwater sequences, does this Bond film sink or swim? Listen to this week's Now Playing to find out! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support

Sean Connery's third time was a charm for his James Bond films. With Goldfinger the Bond formula was solidified. The song, the gadgets, the girls, the plots, it all came together for this film, which many Bond fans cite as their favorite. Does this film have the Midas touch with Arnie, Stuart, and Brock? Listen to find out! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support

James Bond is back! In the last film Bond killed SMERSH agent Dr. No, and now No's boss, the mysterious ailurophile Blofeld. His plot--a beautiful Russian double-agent offers to defect in exchange for Bond's affections. Will Bond take the bait? And is this a review from Now Playing with love? Listen to Arnie, Stuart, and Brock to find out! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support

After years of financial troubles, MGM Studios has finally gotten the next James Bond movie off the ground--this November's Skyfall. And there is no better time for Bond to be back as 2012 is the 50th Anniversary of James Bond's first appearance on the big screen in his first outing, Dr. No. With Sean Connery embodying Ian Flemming's British spy in a star-making role, this is the film that started it all. Now Dr. No also starts the James Bond retrospective series at Now Playing as Arnie, Stuart, and Brock look back at all of the James Bond films. Did Dr. No show signs of a hero that could stay in the public consciousness for half a century, and does it hold up 50 years later? Listen to find out! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support

Since Michelle Pfeiffer squeezed into latex in Batman Returns an idea of a Catwoman movie had been teased. Writers, directors, and stars were attached to the project over the years, and it took over a decade for the film to become reality. Now starring Academy Award winner Halle Berry as Patience Phillips, a woman given the mystical powers of a cat, the film hoped to jump on the superhero bandwagon and launch a new franchise. Instead, it won several Raspberry Awards and tanked at the box office. Is this film as bad as its reputation? Listen to Jakob, Stuart, and Arnie as they let the fur fly in our review! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support

The Dark Knight Rises, Christopher Nolan's much-anticipated conclusion to his Batman trilogy, opened last Friday under the pall of a senseless tragedy that occurred at a screening in Colorado. Nationwide, people mourn for those lost, and pray for those injured. But the majority refuse to let the acts of one man taint a movie they've waited four years to see, and audiences rushed to theaters and IMAX to see if Nolan's latest effort could measure up to 2008's record-breaking, Academy Award winning The Dark Knight. Listen to Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob's final review in their Batman retrospective series to find out if it did! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support

The Dark Knight opened under the dark cloud of Heath Ledger's death but went on to break box office records and set a new standard for superhero films and cement Christopher Nolan's A-List status. But why so serious? Listen to Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob's review of this Academy Award winning tale of capes and cowls! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support

It took eight years after Batman & Robin for the caped crusader to return to theaters with Batman Begins. Directed by a cult director with only two studio films to his name, starring an actor best known for extreme roles in small films, and released in a summer dominated by lightsabers, Batman Begins burst onto the scene and changed the public perception of what a superhero film can be. Now listen to Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob's review of Batman Begins as we lead up to Nolan's final film in his Batman trilogy--The Dark Knight Rises! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support

It was to be the biggest Spider-Man movie yet! 3 villains! Green Goblin 2! Sandman! Venom!! If that's not enough trouble for Peter Parker, Mary Jane is also jealous of the new girl Gwen Stacy. It had fanboys squealing with anticipation, and then crying in anguish, as Arnie did in Now Playing's first-ever movie review. Now Arnie revisits Raimi's third Spider-Man film, joined this time by Jakob and Stuart. Has time changed Arnie's view of this film? Listen to find out! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support

It was to be the biggest Spider-Man movie yet! 3 villains! Green Goblin 2! Sandman! Venom!! If that's not enough trouble for Peter Parker, Mary Jane is also jealous of the new girl Gwen Stacy. It had fanboys squealing with anticipation, and then crying in anguish, as Arnie did in Now Playing's first-ever movie review. Now Arnie revisits Raimi's third Spider-Man film, joined this time by Jakob and Stuart. Has time changed Arnie's view of this film? Listen to find out! {Marvel Series} {Spider-Man Series} --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support

Raimi's 2002 film Spider-Man went on to be the highest grossing superhero film of all time, and so a sequel was swinging into theaters just 2 years later. Spider-Man 2 brings back all the primary characters from the original, and introduces a new foe in the form of Doctor Octopus. Did Spider-Man suffer a sophomore slump? Listen to Stuart, Arnie, and Jakob to find out! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support

Spider-Man is one of the best known comic book superheroes in the world, but his road to the silver screen was a bumpy one. Rights issues, bankruptcy, and technological challenges kept Spider-Man webbed up for over a decade despite numerous attempts to launch a theatrical series. But in 2002 cult director Sam Raimi's vision of Spider-Man lept into theaters and broke box office records, climbing to the top of the charts, becoming the highest grossing superhero movie of all time and even besting Star Wars: Attack of the Clones for opening weekend and total dollars. As we near The Amazing Spider-Man series reboot, Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob look back at Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy starting with the 2002 original. A decade later does the film still hold up? Listen to find out! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support

Despite being green lit for a television series, Spider-Man did not live long on CBS before being squashed under the boot of network executives. But the series was given a final hurrah with a two-hour movie Spider-Man: The Chinese Web, known in its theatrical release as Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge. To help clear J. Jonah Jameson's college friend from conspiracy charges, Spider-Man must travel to Hong Kong. Did the series end leaving our hosts wanting more? Listen to Stuart, Jakob, and Arnie's review and find out! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support

For over a year the hosts of Now Playing have watched and reviewed every movie based off a Marvel Comics series, but now they enter into their last Marvel review series with the most popular Marvel Comic character of all time -- Spider-Man! His red and blue spandex suit is iconic, outshining even Mickey Mouse in global brand awareness, and his 2002 movie even bested Star Wars in the box office. But before Tobey Maguire became the face of Spider-Man, there was Nicholas Hammond. Continuing their roster of prime time superhero shows, CBS ordered a two-hour pilot movie featuring Spider-Man, a college student and part-time photographer. Can the production budget of a 70s television show do justice to Spider-Man's amazing powers? Listen to Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob's review to find out! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support

After Batman Forever exceeded expectations, a sequel was rushed into production. Trouble on the set led to Val Kilmer being replaced by TV superstar George Clooney, but the real star power was held by the film's villain--Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze. And this film brought even more superhero star power, with more super heroes and super villains than any previous Batman movie, including Robin, Poison Ivy, Bane, and even Batgirl! The film was not well received and put Batman on ice for eight years, but Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob have thawed it out for the next installment of their Batman retrospective series. Is this ice nice? Listen to find out! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support

After Tim Burton's Batman returned to diminishing results, audiences put off by the salacious Penguin and dark tone, Warner Bros. brought in Lost Boys director Joel Schumacher to give Batman a new vision. With Val Kilmer now the man behind the cowl, Gotham City was given a new look, a new hero in the form of Robin the boy wonder, and two new villains. Batman Forever came in only second to Toy Story at the 1995 box office, but was it as big a hit with the Now Playing reviewers? Listen to find out! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support

When Batman was a huge success in 1989 a new Batman animated series was immediately approved, but due to the production time of animation it did not premiere until 1992. With a heavy dose of Tim Burton's gothic style but a mood more loyal to the original comics, allowing for such baddies as Clayface and Harley Quinn to fit alongside Joker and Penguin, Batman : The Animated Series was a huge hit reaching outside the normal after-school cartoon demographic to Batman fans of all ages. With the series' success, an original animated feature film got promoted to the big time--a theatrical release. So on Christmas day, 1993, Batman : Mask of the Phantasm became The Dark Knight's fourth appearance on the silver screen. Featuring Mark Hamill as the iconic voice of Joker and Kevin Conroy as Batman both fighting against a new, lethal vigilante The Phantasm, does this animated film actually supersede Burton's live-action films? Listen to Stuart, Jakob, and Arnie's review to find out! --- Support this podcast: https://

When Batman defied expectations to become the top grossing film of 1989 interest in all things Batman exploded. Batman T-shirts were everywhere, and even the 60s television series enjoyed a revival on syndication. But while comics, toys, and TV coasted on Batman 's success, what everyone really wanted was a sequel and so in 1992 director Tim Burton reteamed with star Michael Keaton to bring the next installment in their Bat-franchise--Batman Returns! With Batman facing double the trouble with a duo of evildoers, will Jakob, Arnie, and Stuart enjoy it twice as much? Listen to find out! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support

It was a film that couldn't succeed. It was a superhero film starring a comedic actor. It was directed by the quirky, cult Tim Burton. It was a superhero known more for a campy dance than for kicking ass. And it was the most expensive film ever made. Yet in 1989 Batman dominated not only the box office but the pop culture landscape, bringing a darker, more modern superhero aesthetic to the big screen and becoming the movie that all other superhero films would be compared for over a decade. But does it hold up in this day of the even darker Christopher Nolan Batman adaptations? Listen to Jakob, Stuart, and Arnie's review to find out! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/support