Now Playing - The Movie Review Podcast

Chevy Chase takes a vacation from Saturday Night Live and National Lampoon movies to star as investigative reporter Fletch in this beloved 1985 mystery. Can the comedic chameleon unmask the real reasons why shady yuppie Tim Matheson (Animal House) hires a beach bum to break into his mansion and murder him? And will the jocular journalist be laughed out of town if he runs the headline that Norm from Cheers fronts a massive drug trafficking operation out of a hot dog stand? Get the full scoop when you download the latest Now Playing podcast.

Wakanda Forever mourns the loss of King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), but that doesn’t mean a worthy successor can’t slip into the cat suit and become the next Black Panther. But can anyone stop the advanced African nation from being sunk by an underwater South American society also armed with an arsenal of Vibranium? Or is new rival Namor too light on his feet to fight off fierce females Letitia Wright, Angela Bassett, Lupita N’yong’o, and Danai Gueria? Let favorite colonizers Arnie, Jakob, and Stuart dry your tears with their latest podcast. Listen Now!

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s movie star reputation took a big hit when Collateral Damage was released in the shadow of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Can today’s audiences better appreciate his tough guy approach to a South American cartel leader (Cliff Curtis) who inadvertently killed Ahnold’s wife and child in a Los Angeles consulate bombing? Or is the whole film really just propaganda for the Governator’s entry into California politics? Join Brock, Stuart, and Arnie as they say “hasta la vista” to the last action hero of the 20th Century. Listen Now!

Gael Garcia Bernal (Coco) might look like a typical Marvel superhero in the daylight, but he becomes a Werewolf By Night in order to protect the other monsters of the MCU. Can he outsmart six skilled hunters as they descend upon a labyrinth to slay a mythical beast and collect the powerful Bloodstone? And can Stuart, Jakob, and Arnie really root for anyone willing to rescue Man-Thing from movie jail? Get the details on Disney’s 2022 Halloween Special in black and white when you download the latest Now Playing podcast. Listen Now!

The S stands for Hurt Dwayne Johnson cooks up a different kind of Shazam for the DC Cinematic Universe as the homicidal metahuman Black Adam explodes onto the big screen. Is he the hero that an ancient Middle Eastern country needs after a tyrant seizes their crown and threatens Hell on Earth? Or is Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), Hawkman (Aldis Hodge) and the Justice Society right to try and capture lightning in a bottle before someone gets killed? Don’t wait an Eternium for the answers. Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob are ready to take you into the darkness. Listen Now!

Jamie Lee Curtis tried to move on from the curse of Michael Myers, but another Haddonfield Halloween Ends in blood and screams after granddaughter Allyson goes trick-or-treating with psycho babysitter Corey. Can the franchise’s original boogeyman teach this wannabe anything about being an old school slasher icon, or is Michael wise to keep his face out of this latest installment? Find out if director David Gordon Green has given Carpenter’s legacy a new beginning when you download the latest podcast from Brock, Stuart, and Arnie. Listen now!

Arnold Schwarzenegger sees double after corrupt CEO Tony Goldwyn (Scandal) and geneticist Robert Duvall (The Godfather) duplicate his DNA in The 6th Day. Can the aging action star stop a clone from co-opting his career and family? Or will goons Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Terry Crews (Expendables) terminate the Twins star before he can get to the choppah and expose their illegal practices? Find out how original this sci-fi thriller from the year 2000 really is when you listen to your Sim-Pals Stuart, Brock, and Arnie.

It’s the End of Days for Schwarzenegger’s movie career unless he can update his 80s action hero image for the gritty new millennium. Will it take a miracle for the Now Playing hosts to accept the Austrian bodybuilder as faithless Jericho Cane, a mercenary who must put down the bottle and embrace the rocket launcher of God in order to stop Satan (Gabriel Byrne) from impregnating Robin Tunney? Does the movie fall to pieces the second a leering albino pops up to propose the booty call? Cut out our tongues and we’ll still speak the Gospel truth. Listen Now!

Arnold Schwarzenegger refuses to remove “action hero” from his identity as he suits up for summer 1996 blockbuster Eraser. Can he, James Caan, and the US Marshals help a comely whistleblower escape into Witness Protection before she’s hunted down by a cabal of high powered politicians? And is the aging Terminator equipped to fight off a kamikaze airplane, a tank full of gators, and an experimental rifle that can pinpoint targets even through walls? Pencil in time with Brock, Stuart, and Arnie as they look deeper into this film icon’s career. Listen Now!

Jamie Lee Curtis hides an affair from husband Arnold Schwarzenegger, oblivious that he too conceals a double life as a spy capable of terminating her boyfriend Bill Paxton in the deceptively comedic 1994 blockbuster True Lies. Is it possible to translate a modest French farce into a pumped up James Cameron spectacle? And who the hell is Tom Arnold (aka Mr Roseanne Barr) to give marital advice to anyone? Brock, Arnie, and Stuart are ready to share their honest impressions about this next entry on Ahnold’s action star resume. Listen now!

Arnold Schwarzenegger might’ve been a kindergarten cop, but he has no authority over the 10-year-old boy jawing in his ear throughout his 1993 box office bomb The Last Action Hero. Was it a Big Mistake for the movie icon to partner with a know-it-all fan eager to point out every cliche of his cinematic character? Or did Die Hard director John McTiernan and Lethal Weapon scribe Shane Black elevate the action genre with clever self-awareness that wouldn’t be hip for another decade? Brock, Arnie, and Stuart provide the magic ticket when you Listen Now!

Arnold Schwarzenegger peels back the Iron Curtain, steps naked from a Russian sauna, and brings some Red Heat to the mean streets of Chicago in this 1988 buddy-cop action flick. Can the Soviet strongman learn the American way of implementing justice from wiseass detective James Belushi (K-9), and bring down the international drug dealer that killed his partner? And does 48 HRS director Walter Hill make their screen chemistry crackle like he did with Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy? Find out when you get on the bus with Arnie, Brock and Stuart. Listen now!

Arnold Schwarzenegger made a Raw Deal with producer Dino DeLaurentiis when he opted to star in this 1986 flop instead of a third Conan film. Can the muscle bound lawman get back in the good graces of the FBI (and his nagging wife) by infiltrating the Chicago mob, and avenging the death of Darren McGavin’s son? And does this unhappy onscreen marriage resemble any real life fireworks going on between Ahnold and new bride Maria Shriver? Find out if Brock, Stuart, and Now Playing’s Arnie terminate this unsung entry on the Austrian he-man’s resume.

Twenty years before he was California’s governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger went Commando to assassinate the deposed President of a fake Latin American country in this 1985 shoot-’em-up. Did the Austrian bodybuilder pump up his Terminator image with superhuman tree lifts and gratuitous shopping mall showdowns? Or are the corny catch phrases and play dates with daughter Alyssa Milano dead tired in 2022? Let off some steam with Brock, Stuart, and Arnie as they explore why Ahnold was the last action hero of the 20th Century. Listen Now!

Centuries before targeting Arnold Schwarzenegger in the South American jungle, the Predator was making Native Americans their Prey in this prequel set in the year 1719. Can Comanche medicine woman Amber Midthunder silence the sexist naysayers by bringing down the cloaked alien that’s been picking off her tribe in the wilderness of the Great Plains? And do grizzly bears and mountain lions pose just as much danger to the novice hunter as her outer space foe? Track the latest moves of this 36-year-old franchise when you listen to Brock, Stuart, and Arnie.

Superman and Batman have been taken prisoner, so it’s up to their dogs Krypto (Dwayne Johnson) and Ace (Kevin Hart) to lead the rescue team in the first big screen adventure for the DC League of Superpets. Did deranged guinea pig Lulu (Kate McKinnon) learn enough about being a supervillain from Lex Luther (Marc Maron) to successfully engineer an orange kryptonite plot that expels the Justice League from the planet? And will the Man of Steel have to pick Lois Lane over Man’s Best Friend in the end? Listen Now as Jakob, Arnie, and Stuart sniff it out!

Before there was a League of DC Superpets, there was Underdog… the clumsy police beagle turned into a flying canine crime fighter by mad scientist Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones). But can Walt Disney turn a 1960s Saturday morning cartoon created by cereal makers into something that satisfies the tastes of a new generation of superhero fans weaned on Richard Donner’s Superman? And what can K-9 star Jim Belushi teach his four-legged partner about making a funny family film? Never fear, Now Playing is all you need to hear! Listen Now!

Midnight Sun puts a new light on Stephanie Meyer’s first novel by retelling Twilight through the silver eyes of Edward the vampire. Will fans still swoon over his love affair with Bella Swan knowing he was really fantasizing about committing violence against her body and soul? And what do the rest of the Cullen clan think about a mortal girl from Arizona taking up so much space in their sibling’s head? Join Stuart and Jakob as they put this book series to bed.

After five years living in the shadows, Kate Beckinsale returns to the Underworld universe ready to kick Lycan ass and win the Blood Wars for the vampires. But can the single mother prevent enemies on both sides of the conflict from hunting down and drinking the hybrid blood of her runaway daughter Eve? And will Selene find true friends or just new hairdos when she follows the Northern Lights to a frozen palace full of blonde bloodsuckers? Join Jakob, Stuart, and Arnie as they wrap up this franchise and send it off to the Sacred World of podcasting. Listen Now!

Bella Swan grows up fast in Breaking Dawn - dealing with marriage, motherhood, and rigor mortis all in one giant Twilight conclusion. Will author Stephanie Meyer give her undead Heathcliff and Cathy the happy ending that’s so far eluded their teenage courtship? And are things better or worse between Edward and Jacob now that the werewolf has given up on Bella and imprinted on her baby girl instead? Jakob and Stuart are ready to break it all down now!

Six years after putting Underworld on ice, Kate Beckinsale is slipping on a leather catsuit and Awakening to the joy of blasting more werewolves. But how will Selene adapt to a future where humans are now the Death Dealers, driving both Lycans and vampires into hiding? And has eternal love Scott Speedman gone missing because he’s a captive of the evil Antigen Corporation… or because he’s ducking out on raising their homicidal offspring Eve? Find out if this fourth installment transforms the hosts’ opinions about the franchise when you Listen Now!

Chris Hemsworth and ex-girlfriend Natalie Portman attempt to bury the hatchet after she lifts his hammer and becomes another Thor in the latest Marvel adventure Love & Thunder. Is the superhero couple falling into a parent trap by rescuing the children of New Asgard from disillusioned zealot Christian Bale? Or is this God Butcher right to target Zeus (Russell Crowe) and the other disappointing, debaucherous deities hiding inside Omnipotent City? Join Arnie, Jakob, and Stuart as they use their illusion to produce another mighty podcast. Listen Now!

The romance between sullen teen Bella and immortal vampire Edward gets overshadowed by the backstories of several supporting characters in Eclipse, Stephanie Meyer’s third Twilight novel. Will battle scars and tales of war make readers think differently of Jasper Whitlock? Does jealous Rosalie Hale become more sympathetic after hearing how she was turned undead? And what exactly happened to Bree Tanner in her Second Short Life? Listen Now!

Oscar Isaac (Ex Machina) spends his days hawking trinkets at a museum gift shop, and his nights sleepwalking around the globe as a mummified mercenary named Moon Knight. Should the scatterbrained crime fighter try to figure out his multiple personalities in a sanitarium run by Black Phone predator Ethan Hawke? Or is this white padded cell really a front for a doomsday cult bent on bringing a vengeful, crocodile-headed God down to Earth? Listen Now as Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob balance the scales of Marvel’s latest Disney + series!

Bella Swan can’t wait to die so she can spend all future birthdays sucking face with vampire boyfriend Edward Cullen in the second Twilight novel. Will things end tragically between the odd couple once author Stephanie Meyer starts quoting Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet? And is Bella’s native friend feeling the pangs of puppy love, or the onset of a werewolf transformation? Find out what’s in the pages of New Moon when you join Team Jakob and Stuart!

With all of the Toy Story seemingly told, Pixar rockets back into the past to give us a cinematic origin story for Buzz Lightyear voiced by Chris Evans. Can the cocky Space Ranger learn to work with a team of misfits after his arrogance maroons the mission on a planet crawling with deadly bugs, lethal vines, and killer robots? And does Buzz have a friend in robotic cat Sox the same way he clicked with neurotic cowboy Woody? Pull the string and hear podcasters Arnie, Jakob, and Stuart talk to infinity and beyond about this spin-off space opera. Listen Now!

Stephanie Meyer drove a stake into typical literary depictions of vampires when she published her 2005 bestseller Twilight. What is it about Bella Swan that makes the chaste heroine so irresistible to every living and undead boy in Forks, Washington? And was it a good look for suitor Edward Cullen to take off the Dracula cape and show off his sparkling personality? Join Jakob and Stuart as they sink their teeth into this six-part blockbuster book series. Listen Now!

Kate Beckinsale steps away from the Underworld franchise so that her real life ex Michael Sheen can get some time in the sun as star of prequel Rise of the Lycans. Did Bill Nighy start an eternal war when he adopted a werewolf cub destined to lead human slaves and wilderness beasts in an uprising against vampire aristocracy? And does Death Dealer Rhona Mitra look enough like Selene to wear her iconic leather catsuit and indulge in more forbidden interspecies romance? Listen Now to find out what the hosts are “Lycan” about this third entry in the saga!

Scott Speedman may have morphed into the perfect halfbreed boyfriend for vampire Kate Beckinsale at the end of Underworld, but there has been no Evolution in her clan’s thinking when it comes to interspecies romance. Can the pair escape the nocturnal city and find a place for themselves within a primordial forest? And what happens when winged Elder Marcus (Tony Curran) catches up with the Death Dealer, and learns where his Lycan brother is imprisoned? The key to making sense of the sequel is listening to the latest Now Playing podcast.

Long before Bella had to choose between vampire and werewolf boyfriends, Kate Beckinsale was two-fisting pistols to save star-crossed Lycan lover Scott Speedman from her judgey undead family in Underworld. Is the director of Live Free Or Die Hard a wise man for placing the story of Romeo & Juliet inside The Matrix? Or is Len Wiseman just a letch inventing excuses for getting his future wife out of corsets and into tight leather? Find out if Jakob, Stuart, or Arnie stake a claim for The 2000s’ other fangs and fur Gothic romance when you Listen Now.

Turns out Jack Nicholson did not forget Chinatown as advised, but pulled double duty 16 years later as director and star of the sequel The Two Jakes. Did Harvey Keitel hire our heartbroken private eye because he needs help confronting a duplicitous wife, or because the sting will provide cover when he murders a business partner? And how did the long lost daughter of Faye Dunaway wind up owning an LA suburb built atop an explosive reservoir of oil and gas? Join kitty cats Jakob, Stuart, and Arnie as they follow the money down the well. Listen Now!

Jack Nicholson goes sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong in the Oscar-winning 1974 noir Chinatown. Can the private eye connect the dots between the missing girlfriend of a city official and LA’s vanishing water supply? Is femme fatale Faye Dunaway really falling for the gumshoe, or just taking Jake to the bedroom to stop him from seeing who’s drowning her hubby in the pool? And why does tycoon John Huston want to be an orange farmer so bad? Get the full picture in a podcast your sister, your daughter, and the entire family can enjoy. Listen Now!

11-year-old Charlie McGee might look like just another snowflake who can’t manage her emotions, but tell her she’s no Drew Barrymore and you’ve got a real Firestarter on your hands in 2022. Is proud papa Zac Efron pushing his telekinetic daughter to make the right choices, and avoid being captured by Native American assassin Rainbird and The Shop? Or will the next High School Musical end with a thermonuclear explosion? Find out if Blumhouse has made a barbeque out of a classic novel when you listen to the latest Stephen King podcast.

Dr. Strange presents the illusion that his latest Marvel movie is a routine affair, but In the Multiverse of Madness might actually be another zombie splatter comedy from Evil Dead director Sam Raimi. Can Benedict Cumberbatch’s callous sorcerer fix his relationship with Rachel McAdams, and save America (the country and the teenager) from the wrath of monster mom Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen)? And is it possible there’s a reality where The Inhumans are cool? Listen Now as Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob make their 28th incursion into the MCU.

Jeremy Renner cuts his Yuletide New York vacation short after fangirl archer Hailee Steinfeld (Bumblebee) starts wearing his infamous Ronin suit to fight crime in the Disney Plus miniseries Hawkeye. Will the Marvel mercenary make it home for the holidays with only six days to defeat the Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio), new Black Widow Florence Pugh, a one-legged, deaf martial artist, and her entire Tracksuit Mafia? And why does wife Linda Cardellini want her old Rolex wrapped up and under the tree so badly? It’s Christmas in May when you Listen Now!

Is The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent driving Nicolas Cage into a booze-fueled early retirement (or did he just make too many embarrassing flops)? Now the Oscar winner has to accept a humiliating offer to host a lavish birthday party for fanboy cartel leader Pedro Pascal. Will those “nouveau shamanic” acting techniques be of any help to Agent Tiffany Haddish when the CIA needs Cage to play spy and free a kidnapped politician’s daughter held at a Mallorca compound? Listen Now as Stuart, Jakob, and Arnie face off with Nic’s latest crazy comedy.

Nic Cage first used his “massive talent” to become an action star in the 1996 Michael Bay extravaganza The Rock. Can his Beatles-loving biochemist teach the original James Bond Sean Connery anything about being cool, as they team up to expel Ed Harris and his terrorists from Alcatraz? Or will Candyman Tony Todd steal the show by launching a fleet of missiles loaded up with delicious-looking green gumballs of flesh-eating virus? Listen Now to find out if Stuart, Jakob, or Arnie are ready to cut Cage some friggin’ slack, and let him out of movie jail.

Sega’s speedy mascot races back to movie theaters to offer an encore helping of attitude in Sonic The Hedgehog 2. This time the video game icon not only battles Jim Carrey’s mechanical contraptions and manic comic timing, but the oversized fists of new nemesis Knuckles (voiced by Idris Elba). Are James Marsden’s days of being a helicopter parent over now that flying fox Tails is ready to lift the hedgehog to the next level? Find out if this sequel receives any Blue Justice from the podcast hosts when you listen to the latest Now Playing Arcade installment.

Oscar-winning joker Jared Leto sinks his teeth into another comic book villain role as Morbius, a hematologist who turns into a “living vampire” after tinkering with bat DNA. Can blood brother Matt Smith (Dr. Who) convince the superpowered physician to turn his back on humanity, and join him on a New York bender biting babes and breaking things? Or will the good doctor accept Michael Keaton’s offer to take down Spider-Man in some future sequel instead? Find out how much the latest Marvel movie sucks for Arnie, Jakob, and Stuart when you Listen Now.

Dolph Lungren trains young gamers to become masters of a zombie universe in Dead Trigger, the 2017 film adaptation of a popular first-person shooter made for smartphones. Can a Disney star, an MMA fighter, and the no-longer-little rapper Lil’ Romeo blast their way to Terminal City, and rescue the scientist who can cure the outbreak? Or will Cyglobe CEO (and soap star) Tamara Braun whack them for posing a threat to her gun sales? Help Justin, Arnie, and Stuart answer the call for another trying video game movie when you Listen Now!

Michael Fassbender learns the homicidal impulses that landed him on Death Row in 2016 can be traced back to the Assassin’s Creed he pledged to free-will-loving vigilantes in 1492. Can Oscar-winning scientist Marion Cotillard (Inception) cure the convict of his violent ways simply by plugging him into holographic re-enactments of his past life hit jobs? Or does Jeremy Irons have nefarious reasons for footing this exorbitant 23AndMe bill? Find out why gamers have such animus for this big-budget adaptation of the popular Ubisoft title when you Listen Now!

Yakuza director Takashi Miike tries his hand at a different type of video game adaptation by bringing Ace Attorney Phoenix Wright to the big screen. Can the rookie lawyer find the guilty parties in three interlocking murder trials simply by cross-examining parrots and debunking photographic evidence of lake monsters? And will the fashion police level charges against all those gravity-defying hairdos on display in the courtroom? Find out if Justin, Stuart, and Arnie offer objections to the latest entry in the Now Playing Arcade when you Listen Today!

Robert Pattinson spent the last two years suiting up as The Batman so that he might score a hit movie for DC, and rescue a Gotham City drowning in drugs, violent crime, and political corruption. Will his plans for urban renewal be thwarted by unhinged assassin The Riddler (Paul Dano), or mob henchman Oz “The Penguin” Cobblepot (Colin Farrell)? Or will Zoe Kravitz steal the show as a limber cat burglar with a soft spot for strays? Jakob, Stuart, and Arnie can help you crack the code on this dense new Caped Crusader adventure. Listen Now!

Nearly 50 years after she left Leatherface dancing in the street, final girl Sally Hardesty returns to face another Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 2022. Can she save a bus full of social media influencers who dared to unlawfully displace the serial killer from his retirement in small town Harlow? And will Elsie Fisher (Eighth Grade) use the survival skills she honed during a school shooting to fight back against the triggered madman once the power tools come out? Brock, Stuart, and Arnie are abuzz with thoughts about this ninth franchise installment. Listen Now!

Tom Holland leaves Spider-Man and the MCU behind to head into the Uncharted waters of a popular Playstation video game. Will his Nathan Drake solve a series of puzzles that lead to the legendary treasure of world explorer Ferdinand Magellan? Or will he be conned out of the gold by greedy partner Mark Wahlberg, billionaire rival Antonio Banderas, or a host of femme fatales and modern day pirates? All you have to do to unlock the opinions of host Arnie, Justin, and Stuart is download the latest Now Playing Arcade installment. Listen Now!

Sharon Stone could have screwed like a mink, raised rugrats, and lived happily ever after with Michael Douglas. Instead, her icy crime novelist chances implication in new murders and wardrobe malfunctions 14 years later in Basic Instinct 2. Is pasty psychologist David Morrissey right to claim the femme fatale suffers from risk addiction, and will endanger all of London if she’s allowed to write a new book there? Or is the real poison pen being wielded by a tabloid journalist and a dirty cop? You may never come again after you score the latest Now Playing fix.

Michael Douglas has survived many big screen fatal attractions with dangerous blondes, but the slick yuppie courts a date with the sharp end of an ice pick after he beds Sharon Stone in the steamy 1992 thriller Basic Instinct. Does this femme fatale write novels as a way of planning the future murders of unsatisfying lovers? Or is there a psychotic reader turning bloody acts from her books into San Francisco crime scenes? Untangle all the double crosses and crossed legs when you join Arnie, Jakob, and Stuart for this kinky podcast review. Listen Now!

With “horror holidays” like Halloween, April Fool’s Day, and Friday the 13th routinely being celebrated with 21st Century remakes, it makes sense that someone would dig up My Bloody Valentine in 2009,. Can the censors stop the carnage now that it’s flying into audiences’ faces via 3-D? And what kills a small town faster - a homicidal maniac stuffing residents’ hearts into boxes of candy, or prodigal son Jensen Ackles (Supernatural) closing down the local coal mine? Find out if the hosts are sweet on this second helping of Harry Warden when you Listen Now!

Twenty years after a cave-in turned a coal miner into a cannibal, legendary psychopath Harry Warden returns to paint his hometown red in the 1981 original My Bloody Valentine. So why don’t moviegoers associate headlamps and pickaxes with February 14th in the same way hockey masks and machetes signify Friday The 13th? And were the cruelest cuts made by the MPAA, who edited out literal showers of blood in order to give the film an R rating? Find out if Stuart, Jakob, and Arnie fall in love with this subterranean slasher when you Listen Now.

Neve Campbell, David Arquette, and Courtney Cox are ready to Scream for the fifth and possibly final time as a serial killer in a Ghostface mask terrorizes a new generation of self-aware Woodsboro horror enthusists. Is the 25-year-old franchise still capable of pulling off big surprises like that initial, infamous phone call to Drew Barrymore? And will the new directors enrage or bore Wes Craven purists by slipping some of that fancy pants “elevated horror” into the slasher formula? Find out if this “re-quel” proves legendary when you Listen Now.