Now Playing -- The Movie Review Podcast

The King of the Monsters was King of the Box Office last weekend. This hotly anticipated reboot of the sixty-year-old monster movie grossed nearly $200 million worldwide, proving audiences still yearn to see skyscrapers felled by the giant lizard with the atomic breath. Now, because you, the Now Playing listeners, demanded it, Stuart, Jakob, and Arnie review the new 2014 version of Godzilla. Will the green lizard get green arrows from the hosts? Listen to find out!

Stephen King sued to get his name removed from New Line Cinema's film The Lawnmower Man. Then stars Jeff Fahey and Pierce Brosnan moved on to other projects as well. Even director Brett Leonard had other films to make. So why did New Line insist on making a follow-up to the cyber-sexy horror film? And could there be more on-the-nose casting than Matt Frewer, TV's Max Headroom, to play virtual reality computer god Jobe Smith? Jack in, and listen to Arnie, Jakob, and Stuart's review to find out!

Stephen King sued to get his name removed from New Line Cinema's film The Lawnmower Man. Then stars Jeff Fahey and Pierce Brosnan moved on to other projects as well. Even director Brett Leonard had other films to make. So why did New Line insist on making a follow-up to the cyber-sexy horror film? And could there be more on-the-nose casting than Matt Frewer, TV's Max Headroom, to play virtual reality computer god Jobe Smith? Jack in, and listen to Arnie, Jakob, and Stuart's review to find out!

"Everything that has a beginning has an end." That mantra is spoken repeatedly in The Matrix Revolutions, the conclusion of the Wachowski Brothers' original vision. But is this a case where the ends justify the means? In 2003 this film was met with widespread fan dissatisfaction, but with over 10 years of distance Stuart, Jakob, and Arnie are ready to jack in one last time. Does the film deserve its reputation? If you DONATE and SUPPORT NOW PLAYING you can find out!

There have been a lot of bad Stephen King films, and a lot of films based on the author's works that are virtually unrecognisable from their source material. But of all the films bearing Stephen King's name on the poster only one drew the horror writer's ire to the point of filing a lawsuit to expunge any connection between him and the movie, and that film is The Lawnmower Man. A tale of a mentally challenged landscaper who, through use of virtual reality, becomes a digital god, The Lawnmower Man combined live action and computer generated images to give the audience something they couldn't see on their home PC. Is this a film worth booting up, or should the Now Playing hosts have followed the author's example and disavowed this film from their Stephen King Retrospective Series? Listen to cyber-gods Arnie, Jakob, and Stuart to find out!

There have been a lot of bad Stephen King films, and a lot of films based on the author's works that are virtually unrecognisable from their source material. But of all the films bearing Stephen King's name on the poster only one drew the horror writer's ire to the point of filing a lawsuit to expunge any connection between him and the movie, and that film is The Lawnmower Man. A tale of a mentally challenged landscaper who, through use of virtual reality, becomes a digital god, The Lawnmower Man combined live action and computer generated images to give the audience something they couldn't see on their home PC. Is this a film worth booting up, or should the Now Playing hosts have followed the author's example and disavowed this film from their Stephen King Retrospective Series? Listen to cyber-gods Arnie, Jakob, and Stuart to find out!

It took four years for movie fans to re-enter the Matrix. From 1999 to 2003 there were no Matrix movies, comics, or even video games. But in 2003 that all changed as the Wachowski Brothers unleashed an onslaught of Matrix media on fans, including not one but two films that promised to bring the Matrix saga to a close. The first of those films was The Matrix Reloaded. Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus were back but they brought dozens of new characters increasing the complexity of the film series. Fans left theaters divided on the sequel they had anticipated for so long, but was the film that much of a departure from the original? DONATE TO NOW PLAYING to find out!

Rhino. Electro. Green Goblin. In 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man the web head had a hard time defeating one bad guy, but now he is up against three. With The Amazing Spider-Man 2 director Mark Webb has an even harder challenge than rebooting the film series--he has to up the stakes while setting the stage for Sony to launch an entire Spider-Man cinematic universe of films. With all the movie moguls planning annual films and three bad guys on screen, can Andrew Garfield's Peter Parker still get a story of his own? And after a polarizing first film, does The Amazing Spider-Man 2 show a hero on an upswing, or a downward fall? Listen to Arnie, Jakob, and Stuart's review to find out!

Rhino. Electro. Green Goblin. In 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man the web head had a hard time defeating one bad guy, but now he is up against three. With The Amazing Spider-Man 2 director Mark Webb has an even harder challenge than rebooting the film series--he has to up the stakes while setting the stage for Sony to launch an entire Spider-Man cinematic universe of films. With all the movie moguls planning annual films and three bad guys on screen, can Andrew Garfield's Peter Parker still get a story of his own? And after a polarizing first film, does The Amazing Spider-Man 2 show a hero on an upswing, or a downward fall? Listen to Arnie, Jakob, and Stuart's review to find out!

In 1999 the world learned the answer to the question "What is the Matrix." Then in 2003 a new question arose: "What is The Animatrix?" Released direct-to-video on June 3, 2003 The Animatrix compiled 9 short films from well-known animators, including the creators of Aeon Flux and Akira. With some segments written by The Wachowski Brothers and intended to tie directly into the two Matrix sequels, these films provided a deeper exploration of the history and lore of The Matrix universe. Now Arnie, Jakob, and Stuart review the nine films, "Final Flight of the Osiris", "The Second Renaissance" (Parts 1 and 2), "Kid's Story", "Program", "World Record", "Beyond", "A Detective Story", and "Matriculated." Did these films enhance the Matrix films or was it merely a cash-grab for a popular, new franchise? If you DONATE and SUPPORT NOW PLAYING PODCAST you can listen and find out!

At a secret military base in Antarctica an evil force has arrived. Now the survivors of Ice Station Erebus don't know who's human, who's a demon, and who's come back for more...from the dead! Is this the best adaptation of King's original "Sometimes They Come Back" short story or should it be left buried in the ice? Listen to Stuart, Jakob, and Arnie's review to find out!

At a secret military base in Antarctica an evil force has arrived. Now the survivors of Ice Station Erebus don't know who's human, who's a demon, and who's come back for more...from the dead! Is this the best adaptation of King's original "Sometimes They Come Back" short story or should it be left buried in the ice? Listen to Stuart, Jakob, and Arnie's review to find out!

In 1999 sci-fi fans were blown away by a new vision of rebel freedom fighters struggling against an oppressive ruler. New CGI effects helped to create visions never before seen in film. No, we're not talking about The Phantom Menace but The Matrix. Part Terminator, part Star Wars, part video game, The Matrix created a cult following and a fashion style. Now, fifteen years later, does this film still hold up? If you DONATE AND SUPPORT NOW PLAYING PODCAST you can take the red pill and Stuart, Jakob, and Arnie will show you how deep the rabbit hole goes!

You can't keep a good greaser down! In the 1950s Tony Reno and his gang died while trying to perform a human sacrifice, but now they're back from the dead to complete their quest for immortality. But...if they're back from the grave aren't they already immortal? And what is two time Oscar winner Hillary Swank doing here? Listen to Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob, the hosts who ALWAYS come back, to find out!

You can't keep a good greaser down! In the 1950s Tony Reno and his gang died while trying to perform a human sacrifice, but now they're back from the dead to complete their quest for immortality. But...if they're back from the grave aren't they already immortal? And what is two time Oscar winner Hillary Swank doing here? Listen to Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob, the hosts who ALWAYS come back, to find out!