Breakfast All Day movie reviews

Rick Adams — better known here in Southern California for his "Virtually Rick" segments on Spectrum News 1 — was a complete blast to chat with for this latest A La Carte episode. Rick talks about growing up in an idyllic town in England, playing music and beginning his career in radio, getting his start in television as a host on Nickelodeon in Britain (where he got slimed multiple times a day) and coming to the United States to expand his career. He also discusses the beginnings of the wildly creative stuff he does involving illustrations at The Weather Channel and the inspiration behind his "Virtually Rick" stories, in which he explains complicated topics — from baseball to wildfires to impeachment — by walking around his drawings and bringing them to life in the studio through virtual reality. Rick is so quick-witted and definitely kept Christy on her toes. Listen and enjoy.

We're not saying "Hasta la vista" just yet to the "Terminator" franchise. Christy, Alonso and Matt have a Breakfast All Day review of "Terminator: Dark Fate," as well as Martin Scorsese's gangster epic "The Irishman," which may just be his masterpiece. We also review the Harriet Tubman biopic "Harriet," a movie we wish had taken more chances. And over at our Patreon, we discuss episode 2 of HBO's "Watchmen," which we're loving. It's all treats and no tricks on this Halloween episode. Hope you enjoy.

"Grace and Frankie" writer and executive producer Michael Platt is Christy's A La Carte guest this week, and it was great chatting with him about his eclectic career. He discusses with great honesty his mother's mental illness, and how hours of television served as both a babysitter and an escape for him as a kid growing up in suburban New Jersey. This is also when he realized he was funny, which led to a career in stand-up comedy (with a brief detour following in his father's footsteps as a lawyer). Mike talks about the craft of joke-writing and delivery, writing on "The Howie Mandel Show" and traveling around opening for him, networking as a goalie on Jerry Bruckheimer's celebrity hockey team, his process with his writing partner, and working with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. Enjoy, and remember to tip your wait staff.

Longtime reporter, reality TV producer and Emmy winner Tanya McRae has lots of fun stories to tell on this week's Breakfast All Day A La Carte. Tanya talks about growing up in New York City with politically active parents who prepped her for what to do when they got arrested at protests; the challenges of being biracial and 6 feet tall at age 13 in Cambridge, Mass.; beginning her career in television at ABC News (she sent out 200 tapes and resumes — this was 1989!), her work as a producer and casting director on a wide variety of talk shows and reality shows (and the bad behavior she saw) including "Hideous Houses," "Tattoo Rescue: LA" and "I Got Married at Spring Break," and her brief time as an actress on series including "General Hospital." She also discusses the craziness of working at the tabloid TV show "Hard Copy" and her current gig at Spectrum News 1. Tanya is hilarious and thoughtful. Hope you enjoy.

Our plates are fuller than they have been lately for this week's episode of Breakfast All Day. Christy and Alonso visit Matt at his house for a change to discuss five new movies: the sequels "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" and "Zombieland: Double Tap," the surefire awards contenders "Jojo Rabbit" and "The Lighthouse" and the Netflix "Breaking Bad" follow-up "El Camino." Over at our Patreon, we review the October movie our subscribers voted on for us, the Korean thriller "Train to Busan." We also recap this week's (disappointing) penultimate episode of "On Becoming a God in Central Florida" on Showtime. Grab a tiki mug full of something fruity and join us.

Thirty years after they graduated from high school together, screenwriter David T. Wagner and Christy reconnect for the latest A La Carte interview. They go back to the beginning in Woodland Hills, Calif., and how he lived what he calls "a double life" as a child actor, which included being the 1984 "Jr. Star Search" vocal champion and providing the voice of Linus in "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown." And of course, they discuss the many movies he's co-written, including "Van Wilder" (which put Ryan Reynolds on the map), "On the Line" with Lance Bass and Joey Fatone during peak 'N Sync, and "The Girl Next Door" with Emile Hirsch and Elisha Cuthbert. (David also has some fun reading Christy's reviews of his work back to her and making her squirm.) And they explore "Joker" director Todd Phillips' comments about how it's hard to make comedies in what he calls "woke culture." This was a really fun one — hope you enjoy.

You're not seeing things -- there really are multiple Will Smiths in Ang Lee's "Gemini Man," and we review all of them this week on Breakfast All Day. Christy, Alonso and Matt also talk about Bong Joon-ho's exquisite social satire "Parasite," which will probably end up being the best movie of the year. Speaking of international masters, we review Pedro Almodovar's intimate and personal "Pain & Glory." And we finish up with the documentary "Wrinkles the Clown," which is fascinating if a tad problematic. Over at our Patreon, we discuss episode 8 of "On Becoming a God in Central Florida," which is getting nutty in all the best ways. Join our downline and enjoy!

Filmmaker and fellow mom Jamielyn Lippman is Christy's Breakfast All Day A La Carte guest this week — and she's the rare friend outside the critic world who sees as much as Christy does. Jamielyn talks about growing up in a big, close family in suburban Santa Clarita north of Los Angeles, seeing films from a young age with her father, longtime professional baseball manager Tom Gamboa, and following her dad to various ballparks across the country with her siblings. She also discusses moving to Hollywood at 19 to be an actress (and getting her first big-screen credit in "Boogie Nights") and making the transition to directing her own movies, including the documentary "When the Bough Breaks," about postpartum depression, and the horror flick she just finished, "Killer Weekend." We also get extremely detailed about where we like to sit in the theater. This one was lots of fun, so listen and enjoy.

"Joker" is bound to provoke passionate, polarized responses from viewers, and it's definitely done so between the three of us here at Breakfast All Day. Christy, Matt and Alonso review Todd Phillips' dark and gritty comic villain origin story this week. We also talk about "Dolemite Is My Name," which is an absolute blast with a thrilling central performance from Eddie Murphy. And stick around because right afterward, we delve deep into "Joker" spoilers. You have been warned: Don't listen to this part until you've seen the movie! And over at our Patreon, we discuss episodes 5-7 of Showtime's "On Becoming a God in Central Florida" (we're all caught up at this point) as well as some new trailers. So put on a happy face and join us.

Nick Kirgo is one of the loveliest guys Christy knows and one of the most multitalented. He's a guitarist/singer-songwriter/producer-engineer. He's also a great friend of Christy and her family's, so she was thrilled to chat with him about how he does everything he does on the latest A La Carte episode. Nick talks about moving to Los Angeles from New York at age 6 with his family (including his father, writer and humorist George Kirgo), picking up a guitar at 13, his varied early influences (Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young, Velvet Underground, Aretha Franklin) and beginning his career, which included playing on TV scores with full orchestras in the late '70s and early '80s. Nick also discusses what it feels like to be on stage, turning off the voice of doubt in your head, performing with his adult kids who are also musicians and his main focus now, which is producing and engineering. Nick is so smart and a sweetheart of a guy, so listen and enjoy.

Forget your troubles, come on get happy with us here at the Breakfast All Day Podcast. Christy, Alonso and Matt have a review of the Judy Garland biopic "Judy," with a lead performance from Renee Zellweger that's every bit as terrific as you've heard. We also talk about the latest from DreamWorks Animation, the adorable "Abominable." And we play catch-up with "Rambo: Last Blood," because we sense that you guys were itching to hear what we think about it. Over at our Patreon, we discuss the first four episodes of the Kirsten Dunst drama "On Becoming a God in Central Florida," as well as some trailers and movie news: Spidey's back in the MCU! Swing on by and stick around a while.

Matt Sayles is a brilliant photographer with an inspired eye and a drive to depict his subjects in thought-provoking ways. We talk about his varied career, which includes shooting photos of every A-list star imaginable, on the latest Breakfast All Day A La Carte. Matt discusses growing up in Los Angeles, picking up a camera in high school and honing his talents in creative ways at Stanford University. He discusses some of the favorite famous faces he's shot including Adele, Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan. But recently he's also embarked on a couple of projects to shine a light on people who aren't represented enough in photographs: women of color with great curves and committed couples in artfully intimate moments. And Matt is branching out into directing, including the clip for country star Jana Kramer's "Beautiful Lies." He's so smart and thoughtful and has strong, eye-opening ideas about the importance of inclusion. You're really going to enjoy this one.

Cheerio! The "Downton Abbey" movie is here, and we've broken out our fanciest hats and finest teacups to celebrate at Breakfast All Day. Alonso and Christy review the big-screen version of the beloved TV series -- he's a huge fan, she'd never seen a single episode -- as well as Brad Pitt's sad-people-in-space movie, "Ad Astra." We also discuss a darkly funny indie crime thriller, "Villains." Over at our Patreon, we do our latest Off the Menu review of the 1975 cult classic "Smile" and talk about several new trailers including "Knives Out," which looks fantastic. And we delve into a topic we never thought we'd want to know anything about (and perhaps still don't): Thomas Middleditch's swinger lifestyle. We apologize in advance for the imperfect audio -- we're still learning after all this time. But we are so grateful to you guys for sticking with us! Hope you enjoy.

Bobbi Brown McRae is one of the coolest women Christy knows, and this was clear long before Christy learned that she'd played a Smurf in the Ice Capades. The longtime figure skater, coach, actress and all-around badass discusses her life and career in the latest Breakfast All Day A La Carte episode. Bobbi talks about growing up in Los Angeles in the '60s and '70s, why she loves to perform and how she fought nerves during competition, and the joy she gets from coaching both figure skaters and hockey players. We also take on some serious topics: what can be done to keep young athletes safe from both sexual assault and psychological anxiety in such a high-pressure sport, as well as the body image issues that are so prevalent. Over the past decade, she's forged a side career as an actress in commercials, and she trains actors how to skate for movies and TV. And because we are a film podcast, Bobbi talks about the figure skating movies that get the sport right. Lace 'em up and join us.

Don't be fooled by the rocks that we got. We're still Breakfast All Day from the block. And we were dazzled by Jennifer Lopez's electrifying performance in the true crime drama "Hustlers," although Christy and Alonso had differing levels of enthusiasm for the movie as a whole. We also review "The Goldfinch," the very self-serious film adaptation of the Pulitzer prize-winning novel, and the documentary "Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins," an entertaining and informative look at the trailblazing Texas political writer. And over at our Patreon, we've got some trailer nuggets for you. (We'll review "Smile," the Off the Menu movie you voted for us to watch, next week when Matt is back.) Come check us out on the main stage, and enjoy.

Independent film producer John Lang and Christy have lots of Texas connections in common, so they had a great time reminiscing in this sprawling Breakfast All Day A La Carte interview. John talks about growing up in suburban Dallas during peak '90s Cowboys, studying at the University of Texas where he learned from indie film guru John Pierson, and getting his start on film sets in Los Angeles. He also discusses what he looks for in a new project — his work includes Harry Dean Stanton's final film, "Lucky" — and how streaming has changed the quantity and quality of movies we consume. Lots of good stories and information here, so listen and enjoy.

Like the members of the Losers Club, we're all together again after being away from each for a little while on Breakfast All Day. Alonso, Christy and Matt review the thrilling, sprawling horror sequel "It Chapter Two" and the Korean-American indie drama "Ms. Purple," and we play catch-up with "The Peanut Butter Falcon," since at least a couple of us had seen it and so many of you expressed interest in it. (Thanks for the Instagram feedback!) And over at our Patreon, we discuss several new trailers including "Waves" and "Black Christmas," and Alonso tells us about his time at the Venice Film Festival. Float on over and stay a while.

Dan Shaughnessy is a legendary sportswriter, author and a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. He's also a really old friend of Christy's, someone she and her family stay with whenever they're in Boston, which they did recently. This time, she also had the pleasure of sitting down with him for a Breakfast All Day A La Carte conversation about his lengthy and storied career. Dan talks about growing up a huge sports fan in small-town Groton, Mass., getting his start in sportswriting, and covering iconic teams for The Boston Globe like the Celtics in the '80s and the Red Sox through their many heartaches and triumphs. After all, he is the author of "The Curse of the Bambino." But Dan also loves movies, so we discuss his favorite baseball films and the ones that really get Boston right (including that tricky accent). This was so much fun, so please enjoy this on-location episode.

Summer is over but we're here to provide a ray of sunshine with the Breakfast All Day Podcast. This week, it's just Christy and Matt — Alonso is away covering the Venice Film Festival — and Matt was nice enough to drive down to see Christy and play catch-up with some recent movies. We discuss the Gerard Butler action thriller "Angel Has Fallen," which was No. 1 at the box office last weekend; the charmingly raunchy coming-of-age comedy "Good Boys"; the indie "Brittany Runs a Marathon,"which resonated with both of us in myriad ways; and a new movie this week, "The Fanatic," starring John Travolta as an obsessed celebrity stalker. It is legitimately the worst movie of the year, yet it truly must be experienced. And over at our Patreon, we discuss a bunch of new trailers including "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" and "Joker." Come share the long Labor Day weekend with us.

Julian Higgins is a wise, talented filmmaker beyond his years. He's also a newly minted Academy member, so now he gets to use his great taste for the greater good. He and Christy talk about growing up among academics in New Hampshire, the movies he made as a kid, studying at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles and his excellent 2015 short "Winter Light," which landed on the Oscar shortlist for best live-action short. Julian also teaches film at Emerson College, so he has lots of good advice for others who aspire to make movies. Hope you enjoy this very informative Breakfast All Day A La Carte interview.

Jennie Morris is one of Christy's absolute best friends in the world, someone she's known since they were 6 years old. But Christy had the pleasure of discovering her all over again in this Breakfast All Day A La Carte conversation. Jennie is a longtime TV executive who currently has a key role in launching WarnerMedia's new streaming service HBO Max. But we go back to the beginning, talking about growing up in LA in the '70s and '80s and the TV shows that shaped her, traveling to Russia just after the fall of the Soviet Union and her lengthy career in television which has included stops at Showtime, the Sundance Channel and Pivot. It was so nice spending some extra time with this brilliant, busy lady. Hope you enjoy this conversation, too.

Christy's on vacation, and Matt and Alonso got their schedules so totally out of whack that the only new movie they've both seen is the horrifyingly funny hide-and-seek comedy READY OR NOT. And whether you're ready or not, here we come with our review. And if you join us at Patreon, you can hear us discuss new trailers like LITTLE WOMEN, PARASITE and LAST CHRISTMAS.

James Boyd is a guru of low-budget, do-it-yourself filmmaking. He's also an old friend of Christy's who shares a love of movies, so it was great to reconnect after nearly 30 years for this Breakfast All Day A La Carte conversation. Jim discusses his early interest in film growing up in Texas, moving out to Los Angeles to pursue his dreams of working in the industry and launching the all-digital Nodance Film Festival, which he ran for many years, to boost aspiring filmmakers during Sundance. He talks about the work he does through his production company, 6161 Entertainment, and how he has found a way to keep surviving and thriving and embracing technology as it continually changes. Lots of helpful tips in this one, so take a listen and enjoy.

The dog days of summer are definitely here at the Breakfast All Day Podcast. Alonso, Matt and Christy have a mixed bag of movies this week, from the wildly terrible crime drama "The Kitchen" to the mawkish and cloying "The Art of Racing in the Rain" to the family comedy "Dora and the Lost City of Gold," which is a lot more fun than you'd probably expect from a live-action "Dora the Explorer" movie. And over at our Patreon, Christy and Alonso discuss the penultimate episode of "The Handmaid's Tale" season three. Grab a cold drink, have a seat and join us.

Screenwriter and Emerson College professor Weiko Lin joins Christy this week for a wide-ranging, high-energy Breakfast All Day A La Carte conversation. Weiko talks about emigrating to the United States from Taiwan with his mom and siblings when he was 8, the early influence of '80s pop culture and the power of seeing people who looked like him in Ang Lee's "The Wedding Banquet." He discusses his writing process, where he likes to write and how he works through writer's block. We also explore his writing for the Chinese market, what the moviegoing experience is like there and recent hits like "Crazy Rich Asians." And if you're thinking of becoming a writer yourself, Weiko's new book "Crazy Screenwriting Secrets" provides some guidance by encouraging people to be fearless in their storytelling approach. Plus, he's just a lovely, genuine guy in general, so please enjoy.

Summer is winding down and that means we're finally (hopefully) reaching the last of the big, dumb blockbusters here at Breakfast All Day. And "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw" has got to be the biggest and dumbest of all, so naturally Matt, Alonso and Christy have some thoughts. We also talk about the excellent indie drama "Luce," the nap-inducing "The Mountain" starring Jeff Goldblum and "Honeyland," the documentary about Macedonian bee farmers you never knew you needed in your life. (It's one of the year's best films.) We've also recorded a spoiler talk for "Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood," since so many of you asked for it. And over at our Patreon, we discuss a bunch of new trailers, including "The Lighthouse" and "The Irishman." Come hang with us during the dog days.

Here's a special midweek nugget for you: a recap of the latest episode of "The Handmaid's Tale," which Alonso and Christy had the pleasure of discussing in front of a live audience at Outfest over the weekend. And was there ever a lot to discuss in Season 3 Episode 11, "Liars." This is the kind of extra-special content subscribers to our Patreon receive, but we wanted to share it with the world this time because it was such a cool event and we so enjoyed doing it. We hope you enjoy listening just as much -- and look for our regular film reviews, including "Hobbs & Shaw," on Friday. Praise be!

Daryl Evans is essentially the ambassador for the Los Angeles Kings. The former Kings legend and longtime radio color commentator for the team was gracious enough to sit down with me for this wide-ranging and very different Breakfast All Day A La Carte interview. Daryl talks about growing up in Toronto, how he got his start in hockey, playing in the NHL and the famous game-winning playoff goal he scored known as the "Miracle on Manchester." He also discusses the many lives he's lived since retiring from the game, which includes traveling the world as a coach, selling Cadillacs for nearly a decade, calling Kings games for the past 20-plus seasons and developing his signature style of shiny, flashy suits. We also talk about the hockey movie he says captures the sport most accurately. Daryl might be the nicest guy on the planet, and he's certainly one of the busiest, so Christy is honored that he found an hour to spend with her for this conversation. Listen and enjoy.

It's a hot August night in July with Quentin Tarantino's love letter to 1969 Los Angeles, "Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood." Alonso, Matt and Christy naturally have lots of thoughts on the latest Breakfast All Day — Tarantino never inspires shrugs or middle-of-the road takes — and we suspect you will, too. We also review "Skin," starring Jamie Bell in the true story of a white supremacist trying to turn his life around, and the documentary "Mike Wallace Is Here," about the late, legendary TV newsman. And over at our Patreon, Alonso and Christy recap the season two finale of "Big Little Lies" and the latest episode of "The Handmaid's Tale," and all three of us discuss the cavalcade of trailers that debuted at Comic-Con including "Top Gun: Maverick" and the TV series "Westworld" and "Watchmen." Grab a seat at the Musso and Frank's bar and join us.

Sandy Cohen and Christy spent years together in the trenches covering entertainment for The Associated Press, and Christy feels so lucky that they're still friends years after they've both left. Sandy has lots of great stories to tell from her time interviewing celebrities — which began with Elizabeth Taylor her first day on the job — but she also discusses growing up in the Southern California city of Torrance, how she got her start in journalism and what she brings that sets her apart from other entertainment writers. One of the coolest assignments Sandy had was covering the Academy Awards for a dozen years from an incredible, intimate perch backstage — and yes, she has some insight on the infamous "Moonlight"/"La La Land" mixup. Plus, she's just a smart, upbeat, genuine woman in general. This was a fun one, so enjoy.

We couldn't let "Crawl" slink away from us without talking about it on Breakfast All Day. Alonso, Matt and Christy play catch-up this week with the supremely schlocky thriller, which weirdly wasn't screened for critics before opening day. We also review Lynn Shelton's largely improvised indie comedy "Sword of Trust," which features a great Marc Maron performance. As a little bonus, we give you a taste of the kind of content you can enjoy over at our Patreon with trailer talk about "It Chapter Two" and the featurette for "Cats." (The full trailer for the musical extravaganza came out after we recorded, but we'll be sure to discuss it next week.) And if you're looking for our discussion of the big movie of the week, Disney's live-action incarnation of "The Lion King," we did an early review of that on the previous episode. Thanks as always for joining us.

Melvin Robert has lived many lives for a man in his mid-30s: educator, musical theater performer and now television anchor for Spectrum News 1 here in Southern California. That's how Christy knows him — he also hosts "The SoCal Scene" on the channel, a show for which she's a correspondent. But it was so much fun to sit down with him outside the studio for this wide-ranging Breakfast All Day A La Carte interview. Mel talks about growing up as a gay black man in Inglewood, how he endured bullying and struggled to find his identity and inner confidence and how hard he worked to land his current role. He also discusses his time with the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles, which he says was life-changing (and you'll get to hear his beautiful singing voice). Mel is funny, authentic and inspiring. Hope you enjoy.

Can you feel the love tonight? We're not exactly feeling it in our early review of "The Lion King." Matt is back from vacation in Hawaii so he's joined Christy and Alonso for the latest episode of Breakfast All Day. Besides the latest Disney live-action re-do, we also have reviews of Lulu Wang's excellent family drama "The Farewell" and the idiotic mismatched-buddy comedy "Stuber," which wastes the talents of Kumail Nanjiani and Dave Bautista. And over at our Patreon, we recap the entire third season of "Stranger Things" — spoilers ahoy! — as well as the past couple weeks of "Big Little Lies" and "The Handmaid's Tale." Come get nostalgic for your childhood with us.

There's 104 days of summer vacation — give or take — and Christy got to spend one of them with "Phineas and Ferb" star Vincent Martella. She's been a fan of his voice work as Phineas Flynn on the animated Disney series for years, thanks to her son introducing her to it, so she was thrilled when he agreed to be her guest on Breakfast All Day A La Carte. Vince and Christy talk about how he got his start as an actor growing up in Florida, his career-making roles on "Everybody Hates Chris" and "Phineas and Ferb" (which he did simultaneously for a couple years), how he found Phineas' voice and his inspired routine to get psyched up before stepping into the recording booth. (They realized as he was leaving that she forgot to ask him about the "P&F" movie — it's been in the works for a while and is due out next year.) They also discuss making the transition from child actor to adult actor, his life in New York and why there are so many wild Florida Man stories. Christy feels so lucky that he took the time to visit while he was in town for a couple weeks — he's her first interview guest in her new home! — and he couldn't have been nicer to her son, who is indeed on summer vacation. So sit back with a cool drink and enjoy.

LaToya Morgan is a longtime TV writer and producer whose work includes "Shameless," "Parenthood" and "Into the Badlands." She's also a cool, smart, funny woman in general, so Christy is thrilled that she took the time to chat with her for this A La Carte episode. LaToya talks about growing up in a diverse section of South Los Angeles, a part of town that's changing through gentrification; her childhood influences, which include "The Twilight Zone," Stephen King and "The X-Files"; and her early work with AmeriCorps and the Children's Defense Fund before going to film school at the American Film Institute. She also shares how she brings various elements of her identity as a black, queer woman to the characters she creates and whether television is getting more diverse both in front of and behind the cameras. LaToya has lots of great stories and insights, so listen and enjoy!

Summer is heating up and so is Breakfast All Day, with early reviews of two hotly anticipated movies: the sequel "Spider-Man: Far From Home" and "Midsommar," Ari Aster's follow-up to "Hereditary." Alonso, Matt and Christy also review the Beatles musical comedy "Yesterday" and "Annabelle Comes Home," the latest creepy doll flick from the "Conjure"-verse. And over at our Patreon, we discuss this week's episodes of "Big Little Lies" and "The Handmaid's Tale," plus we have some Trailer Talk: "Charlie's Angels," "The Good Liar," "Queen and Slim" and "The Lodge." We're taking next week off, so let us be your beach companions over the holiday, and enjoy.

Jeffrey McHale's "Showgirls" documentary, the brilliantly titled "You Don't Nomi," will make you reassess how you feel about the so-bad-it's-good classic. You may decide that it's legitimately good, if not great. McHale spoke with Christy and Alonso about his upbringing in Troy, Michigan, studying film at Chicago's Columbia College, meeting his husband and moving to Los Angeles to begin a career in TV and film. And of course, we talk at length about "Showgirls," and how the tide has turned in terms of its critical perception. (Since we recorded, "You Don't Nomi" has indeed found a distributor; it's also playing at the Frameline Film Festival in San Francisco this weekend and at Outfest in Los Angeles next month.) It doesn't suck, so take a listen.

A couple different talking-toy movies are opening this weekend, so make sure you choose wisely when you're with your family at the multiplex. We did an early review of "Toy Story 4" on last week's Breakfast All Day. This week, Alonso, Matt and Christy review the latest incarnation of Chucky in "Child's Play." We also discuss the documentary "Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am," about the Nobel laureate and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and we catch up with Jim Jarmusch's all-star zombie comedy "The Dead Don't Die." And over at our Patreon, we recap the latest episodes of "Big Little Lies" and "The Handmaid's Tale," and we have some movie news including the announcement of a "Hunger Games" prequel book and a new director for the "Red Sonja" reboot. We also like to aim for the head, in our own way. Listen and enjoy.

Ashly Stohl and Christy have known each other since the sixth grade, but they've had the pleasure of becoming even better friends as adults — and watching their kids become friends, too. And her kids happen to be her muses, providing the inspiration for the brilliant photographer she's become. (You can see an example of her work, which is featured in her new book "The Days & Years," above.) Ashly and Christy talk about growing up in Los Angeles in the '80s, being a studious chemistry major at party-school UC Santa Barbara and how becoming a mom inspired her to cultivate her inner artist. She's also a publisher as the co-founder of Peanut Press Books. Ashly is one of the coolest, most authentic women Christy knows, and she's so pleased to share their conversation with you. Enjoy.

"Toy Story 4" doesn't come out until next week, but we all liked it so much that we wanted to share an early review with you on the latest Breakfast All Day. Alonso, Matt and Christy also review a couple of other sequels: the empty and dull "Men in Black International" and yet another "Shaft," starring three generations of the iconic blaxploitation character in one of the year's worst films. And over at our Patreon, we discuss the debut of season two of "Big Little Lies," as well as episode four of "The Handmaid's Tale" season three. And much to Alonso's dismay, we continue with trailer talk: "Doctor Sleep," a follow-up to "The Shining," and "Frozen II." 'Cause when it comes to sequels, we just can't let it go. Thanks for listening, and enjoy.

Brian Aubert, lead singer and guitarist for the Silversun Pickups, is a hugely talented guy. He's also a sweetheart and a smart-ass and blast to hang out with. And Christy feels lucky that they had a chance to do just that on the latest A La Carte episode, since he and the band have been super busy with their new album, "Widow's Weeds." They discuss growing up in the same part of the San Fernando Valley in the 1980s, the movies and bands that shaped him, how he got his start playing music and how this hobby turned into a career. They also spend a good amount of time talking about sobriety, since they both stopped drinking last year. This one gets a little heavy but it's mostly a lot of fun. Hope you enjoy.

We're still trying to figure out what happens in "Dark Phoenix" — and that's without the confusion of the fire alarms that went off during our screening — on this week's episode of Breakfast All Day. Alonso and Christy review the messy new "X-Men" movie, as well as the Emma Thompson/Mindy Kaling comedy "Late Night" and the dreamy drama "The Last Black Man in San Francisco," which will definitely end up being one of the best movies of the year. And we have some tremendous goodies for you over at our Patreon, including discussions of Ava DuVernay's devastating mini-series "When They See Us" and the first three episodes of the new season of "The Handmaid's Tale." Praise be!

Alonso and Matt may stomp around and make a lot of noise, but they're majestic creatures with plenty of insight on this brief Breakfast All Day. With Christy busy moving, it's just the two guys this time talking "Godzilla: King of the Monsters." We also have a taste of our Patreon content for you with a discussion of several big trailers: "Onward," "Rambo: Last Blood," "The Kitchen," "The Goldfinch" and "In Fabric." And we break down what the whole Disney/Fox merger means and how it changes what you see, both in theaters and on TV. This is the kind of extra-awesome content you can expect when you become a member of our Breakfast All Day Patreon -- and we hope you will! Thanks for listening.

Christy has something very cool and different this week on Breakfast All Day A La Carte, which she's excited about sharing. Theresa Farrell is a longtime ballerina and the executive director of the American Contemporary Ballet here in Los Angeles. She's elegant and radiant but also genuine and sweet as can be, and Christy loved having the chance to chat with her for a while. We discuss growing up in Saratoga Springs, New York, where she started dancing at age 8; beginning her career in New York City and working with Lincoln Jones to create the American Contemporary Ballet; and bringing ACB to L.A, where they've taken an innovative approach to making ballet accessible in a beautiful, unexpected environment. (Their latest production, "Variations on Raymonda," opens this week.) We also talk about her favorite ballet movies. Because in theory, this is a movie podcast! Put on your dancing shoes, and enjoy.

Eventually we will all get the Elton John songs out of our heads. For now, though, we're talking about "Rocketman" in a special Wednesday episode of Breakfast All Day. And we're chatting at Alonso's house this time because Christy is in the middle of moving. The two of them and Matt review the Elton John biopic as well as the batshit crazy Netflix thriller "The Perfection." It's set in the world of elite cellists, what more do you need? Over at our Patreon, we discuss the series finale of "Fosse/Verdon," so please join us for that. And then the guys will have a review of "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" on Friday, so make sure you come back for that, as well. Thanks for juggling with us!

One of Christy's favorite jobs of the many jobs she does is going on KCRW's "Press Play" to talk movies on Friday mornings with the great Madeleine Brand. (Alonso and Matt also have been frequent guests.) This time, she got to turn the tables and ask Madeleine the questions. Eventually they will have a conversation that doesn't involve mics and headphones! They talk about growing up in Los Angeles, her many years as a reporter and anchor at NPR, how the Trump presidency has changed the way she approaches her show and her activities outside the studio, which include painting. Madeleine is one of the coolest, smartest women we know here at Breakfast All Day, so Christy was thrilled to spend some extra time with her. Hope you enjoy the conversation, too.

Get ready for one of the best movies of the year. "Booksmart" is in theaters this weekend, and Matt, Alonso and Christy have a rave review on the latest episode of Breakfast All Day. We also discuss "Aladdin," the latest Disney live-action re-do; "Brightburn," which is a cross between a horror movie and a superhero origin story; and the documentary "Echo in the Canyon," about the Laurel Canyon music scene of the 1960s. And over at our Patreon, we talk about this week's razzle-dazzle episode of "Fosse/Verdon," along with some trailer news. The leaves are brown and the sky is gray, but we're here to warm you up.

Of all the people Christy has interviewed for this A La Carte series, J.P. Manoux has the greatest how-do-we-know-each-other? story of all. No one else will ever come close. But you may know him from his decades in comedy, television and commercials. J.P. talks about growing up as the eldest of seven kids in Santa Barbara, studying at Northwestern University's prestigious drama program, how he got his start and how he's maintained such longevity as a working actor for so long — including playing one of the Fruit of the Loom guys and a variety of mimes. He's done a ton of guest spots and recurring roles on series including "ER" and "Veep" — he's one of those "that guys" that you've seen everywhere. And now you can hear him, too. Enjoy.

Just like Keanu Reeves, we're unstoppable here at the Breakfast All Day Podcast. Matt, Alonso and Christy review the completely gnarly action thriller "John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum"; the swoony YA romance "The Sun Is Also a Star"; "The Souvenir," an exquisitely acted British drama; and "Charlie Says," the story of the Manson family from the perspective of his "girls." And if you head on over to our Patreon, you can hear us talk about the penultimate "Game of Thrones" episode with Ben and say farewell to some Hollywood legends, including Doris Day and Tim Conway.

Julie Buxbaum is a brilliant, best-selling author whose latest Young Adult novel, "Hope and Other Punch Lines," just arrived in bookstores. She's also a total sweetheart whom Christy doesn't get to see often enough. Julie discusses growing up as an obsessive reader and studious girl in suburban New York, going to Harvard Law School (which she loved) and her brief career as a lawyer (which she didn't love), and taking the leap into becoming a novelist. We also talk about what her process is when she starts a new book and how she tackles writer's block. Please try to tune out the police helicopter circling overhead for a big chunk of our conversation — it's all part of our glamorous life in the big city! — and enjoy.