Now Playing - The Movie Review Podcast

Alice goes Beyond Thunderdome on the Fury Road in Resident Evil: Extinction -- a Mad Max movie for gamers (it even ends with a final fight in a cage!) In this post-apocalyptic wasteland a group of survivors band together to travel to Alaska, where they are promised a civilization free of zombie infection. But who is their biggest obstacle -- the zombified birds and humans, or Umbrella Corporation's middle management?  Grab a game controller and join the Now Playing hosts to find out!

The first Resident Evil film ended with what seemed like the end of the world -- Alice alone in a desolate, abandoned Raccoon City.  Picking up from that very moment Apocalypse reveals all is not lost as there is plenty of life in the city, but not for very much longer.  With new friends Jill Valentine and Carlos Olivera, can Alice make a deal to escape before the city is nuked, all while dodging attacks from Project Nemesis?  Do the hosts care, or do they want to see the city burn? Listen to find out?   Discuss this movie with the hosts in the Now Playing Podcast forums

In 1995 Paul W.S. Anderson scored a major hit with Mortal Kombat, a box office hit grossing more than double any other video game adaptations.  In 2002 Capcom hoped Anderson could beat his own high score with Resident Evil.  Based on the zombie survival-horror game, this movie brought the game's iconography and added some martial arts action. The movie was a success and launched the longest-running video game movie franchise. But is this a movie you want to watch, or just play? Join Justin, Stuart, and Arnie to find out!

Fans of Star Wars comics, books, video games, and cartoons have long known the universe is ripe for adventures outside of the Skywalker family tree. But with Rogue One this type of story comes to the big screen for the first time. Detailing the group of rebels who steal the original Death Star plans, this film was seen as a creative risk by Lucasfilm. The result was one of the biggest opening weekends of all time; another super-successful Star Wars movie. But was it a story that needed to be told? Join the Now Playing Podcast hosts to find out!

The original Dune mini-series broke Sci-Fi channel records for viewing. Three years later they attempted to hit that same peak with the sequel Children of Dune.  Combining the stories of two Frank Herbert novels, this three-part series brings back old characters and introduces new ones in the continuing story of House Atreides.  Should you watch these Children?  Listen to this episode of Now Playing to find out!

  In this holiday season you can head to your local Chopping Mall to pick up the new Blu-Ray release of this 1986 horror cult classic. A brand new transfer and lots of bonus features accompany this new release. Going even further, on this podcast Arnie Carvalho talks to Chopping Mall director Jim Wynorski and writer Steve Mitchell, dispelling internet rumors and finding out about the making of this film. After you hear this interview, get our review of Chopping Mall! You can get this review now and help support Now Playing! It is available on our Podbean page. Every dollar you donate goes to make this show the best it can be. Thank you for your support and we hope you enjoy the podcast!  

The Dune novels have built a universe full of history and lore. So many details and characters exit that it seemed even David Lynch had trouble squeezing Frank Herbert's original novel into two hours, but could it work in six?    In 2000 the Sci-Fi Channel released Frank Herbert's Dune -- a three-night mini-series telling of the fall of House Atreides, and the rise of its son Paul.  How does this telling compare to both the '84 film and Herbert's original novel? Join the Now Playing hosts to find out!

Frank Herbert's novel Dune had a long path from the novel to film. After a series of false starts it finally hit theaters in 1984 directed by Oscar nominated director David Lynch.  The director turned down Return of the Jedi for this other sci-fi epic. Yet while both are space fantasies on desert planets, Jedi was populated with muppets and Dune came with a pamphlet to help moviegoers unfurl the dense narrative. How much of this film is Herbert and how much is Lynch, and is this film the worm or the hook?  Join the Now Playing podcast hosts to find out!

As the school year ended in 1986 John Hughes gave the world a film honoring playing hooky -- Ferris Bueller's Day Off.  On the surface this is a fluffy comedy about three teens set loose in Chicago, but its themes and characters clicked with audiences and have endured for thirty years.  Now, as Now Playing continues its look at the films of 1986, Arnie, Marjorie, and Justin skip school to give you this bonus movie review.  Is this the best Day ever? Join them to find out!

I am not an animal! I am a human being!  That quote from David Lynch's The Elephant Man has become part of the American lexicon, quoted in literally hundreds of movies and television shows.  But what of the film that created the quote? Lynch's 1980 black and white biopic, his first commercial production, was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won many other statues. How does The Elephant Man hold up over 35 years later? Take the bag off your head, put in your earbuds, and join Arnie, Jakob, and Stuart to find out!

David Lynch is a popular director of such films as The Elephant Man, Dune, Wild at Heart and Mulholland Drive. And he became a household name with his 1990 TV Series Twin Peaks where "Who killed Laura Palmer?" was the new decade's "Who shot JR?".  But before all those films came Eraserhead - Lynch's surreal feature debut. It has become a midnight-movie cult hit and its meaning has been debated for decades. Now you can join Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob as they give their analysis and review!

Fourteen movies into the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes the Strangest movie yet -- Doctor Strange. This film eschews all the other movies' science fiction basis to bring that magic feeling to the franchise.  Can lauded actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, and Tilda Swinton cast their spell on our reviewers?  Listen now to find out!

After swearing he was done with horror movies, director Rob Zombie scared up some crowd-funded money to make a tale of Halloween murder-- 31.  Featuring a group of carnies trapped by psychotic clowns, the film is a throwback to Zombie's earliest films. But is retro horror what we need, or is it just too much clowning around? Join the Now Playing hosts as they treat your trick with this special Halloween movie review!

It took three years for Blumhouse to scare up a sequel to Sinister. Original creator Scott Derrickson had moved on to make Dr. Strange, but he returned to co-write and produce this follow-up. But can a story of a demon shaming Deputy So & So live up to the suspense of the original? Justin, Stuart, and Arnie are here to fill your trick or treat bag with this bonus podcast! So listen to find out!

The Pet Sematary series returned from the grave in 1992. The three years in the ground (or the video stores) did it no favors as the return looked little like the '89 original. Gone was the entire cast, replaced by new star Edward Furlong -- fresh off his success of Terminator 2.  Can returning director Mary Lambert reanimate this franchise, or does this sequel smell of rot and death?  Dig up this show to find out!