The Front Row Network

There was an incredible amount of news coming out of the Disney Investor Day presentation last Thursday. The whole Beyond the Mouse crew is here to breakdown the biggest announcements from Lucasfilm, Disney Theatrical, Disney Animation, Pixar and Marvel! FEATURING: Craig McFarland, Brett Rutherford, Vanessa Ferguson __________________________________________ Named one of the top 60 Disney Podcasts...

Larry sits down with comedian and podcaster Jeremy Nunes where they discuss Jeremy's comedy career, improv, his transition to clean comedy, and Jeremy tries to convince Larry certain foods are of the devil and conspiracy theories can be fun! FEATURING: Larry Smith (@poundsmith2) Don't forget to follow/reach us at: Website:  www.nprillinois.org/programs/front-row-network Twitter:  @frontrowreviewz...

Let's ring in the holiday season with our newest episode of Front Row Classics! We bring you 1958's Auntie Mame starring Rosalind Russell, recreating her Tony nominated stage role for this film. Brandon and Eric are joined by Beyond the Mouse's Brett Rutherford to discuss this legendary comedy. The hosts discuss among many topics: Russell's hilarious performance, the amazing roster of character ac...

We are incredibly excited to speak with Academy Award winning director, and Central Illinois native, Brenda Chapman. We had the chance to speak with Brenda about her career from her time working in animation during the Disney renaissance to her bring Pixar's Brave to life. Brenda's live-action directing debut, Come Away, is out now on any video on-demand platform. This wonderful reimaging of Peter...

We're kicking off a packed December slate with FULL DISCLOSURE of the new Netflix drama Mank from acclaimed director David Fincher. Telling the behind-the-scenes inspiration for what many call the greatest film ever made, just how much of an Oscar shoo-in is this black and white tour-de-force? We're spoiling it all! FEATURING: Brandon Davis, Jay Hoffman & Brett Rutherford Don't forget to follow/re...

FLASHBACK is closing out our November by taking a nostalgic look back at the 1995 Aaron Sorkin drama The American President. The template for what would become The West Wing boasts an amazing cast but does it really still have something to teach us about politics today? Our crew breaks it all down! FEATURING: Ryan Lootens, Jay Hoffman & Craig McFarland Don't forget to follow/reach us at: Patreon:...

FULL DISCLOSURE returns with a deep dive into Netflix's latest miniseries hit The Queen's Gambit. Following the life of a young female chess prodigy, this miniseries is packed with an incredible lead performance, a pace that never dulls and some of the best and most accurate depictions of chess ever put to screen. It's not to be missed and we're spoiling the hell out of it! FEATURING: Jeremy Goeck...

WWE's annual brand battle Survivor Series has come and gone and while it was filled with one big head-scratcher (what are we doing with Lana here?), there were some absolute classics including a fire main event and, of course, finally saying goodbye to the iconic Undertaker. FEATURING: Jeremy Goeckner & John Sivak Don't forget to follow/reach us at: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/frontrownetwork...

We were delighted to have the one, the only, Abby Russell of Giant Bomb fame join this week's episode!  We dipped into the Midnight Ghost Hunt and Elypse betas, Abby seduced the news, her love of Red Dead Redemption gets her to try Red Dead Revolver, and she gives us some tips in starting Sims 4 in the Backlog Blog.  After that, we pick her brain with the most important questions, and play a round...

Hot Santa is back, and so is Guilty Pleasures! The crew who broke down Netflix's massive hit The Christmas Chronicles have returned to talk about the highly anticipated sequel, The Christmas Chronicles 2. Is the Christmas magic still there? Non-Spoiler review to start, then Full Disclosure at 8:30! Panel - Lou Hare, Donna Hare, Steve Ponzo, Tiffany Topol   Don't forget to follow/reach us at: Websi...

We're very honored to welcome two incredible filmmakers to the Front Row to talk about their new documentary. Nelson and Maxx have spent the last 4 years compiling, interviewing and editing this never-before-seen look at the street-level courage and hardships of the unending pro-democracy protests in Venezuela. We discuss the remarkable way they gathered this footage, the incredible stories within...

We're stepping into Oscar movie season once again with another EARLY REVIEW from our friends at Netflix. Ron Howard directs the film adaptation of the best-selling novel Hillbilly Elegy, in which a Yale law student is drawn back to his hometown and grapples with his family history, Appalachian values and the American dream. FEATURING: Craig McFarland, Brett Rutherford & Ryan Lootens Don't forget t...

Front Row Classics is celebrating Noirvember this month with a very special guest. The "Czar of Noir", Eddie Muller joins Brandon and Eric to celebrate the Film Noir genre. Eddie is a celebrated author, film historian and is the host of Turner Classic Movies' Noir Alley. The interview covers the history of noir as well as discussion of modern and classic examples of the genre. We encourage our lis...

This week we take a look back at the successful launch of Disney+ on November 12, 2019. We also discuss what we have watched throughout the year. All the shows, documentaries and movies we have come to love on this streaming platform. Finally, we speak about what we are most looking forward to in the future of Disney+. FEATURING: Craig McFarland, Brett Rutherford, Vanessa Ferguson ________________...

It's time to switch….AGAIN!!! Guilty Pleasures kicks off its "Sleigh, What?" series of Christmas Movie podcasts by breaking down this latest entry to the Netflix Christmas Universe, "The Princess Switch: Switched Again!" Does this sequel fill out hearts with Christmas cheer? Non-Spoiler review at 0:00, then a Full Disclosure deep dive at 12:00! FEATURING: Lou Hare, Tara Erickson, Sam Weller Don't...

Craig breaks the Star Wars Holiday Special that just dropped on Disney+. This is a spoiler-free mini-review all about Lego, Star Wars and a really fun special! FEATURING: Craig McFarland  Don't forget to follow/reach us at: Website:  www.nprillinois.org/programs/front-row-network Twitter:  @frontrowreviewz Email:  thefrontrowmoviereviews@gmail.com Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/thefrontrownet...

A few months ago we had the pleasure of speaking with celebrity photographer Michael Grecco about his career. Now we're so happy to welcome him BACK to the Front Row to talk about his brand new book "Punk, Post Punk and New Wave" and the incredible never-before-seen photographs that populate this incredible record of one of the most iconic periods in music and cultural history.  FEATURING: Jeremy...

It's time for another crossover! Lou joins back up with Classics hosts Brandon & Eric to complete their review of The Godfather trilogy with the infamous The Godfather: Part III. Does the conclusion to the Corleone saga deserve it's notorious reputation? Let's get into it and find out!   FEATURING: Lou Hare, Brandon Davis, Eric Flick   Don't forget to follow/reach us at: Website:  www.nprillinois....

A tradition at the Network continues in 2020. Resident veteran Jay Hoffman welcomes our friend Captain Dale Dye back to the Front Row to talk the 1951 Korean War film The Steel Helmet. This film was the first to depict the Korean War and was the first of many war movies from filmmaker Samuel Fuller. FEATURING: Jay Hoffman & Captain Dale Dye Don't forget to follow/reach us at: Website:  www.nprilli...

FULL DISCLOSURE is kicking off a busy month with a look back at the most critically acclaimed release of October. We dive into the unreal ensemble, the Sorkin-ese and the awards chances for Netflix's The Trial of the Chicago 7. FEATURING: Craig McFarland, Steve Sykes & Louis Hare Don't forget to follow/reach us at: Website:  www.nprillinois.org/programs/front-row-network Twitter:  @frontrowreviewz...

We're kicking off the month of November in a big way. Front Row Classics tackles the mammoth-sized epic, Spartacus. Brandon and Eric are joined by Jay Hoffman and Erin McCabe from Front Row Flashbacks to discuss Stanley Kubrick's classic film. The group discusses the film's timeless theme of the fight for human rights as well as the legendary all-star cast including the late, great Kirk Douglas. ...

We are officially closing out in insanely packed month of content with our last episode of MonsterCast in 2020. For our final horror film spotlight, we're diving into the "don't mess with nature" bloody gore-fest that is The Ruins, chronicling 5 people's fight to survive after being trapped on the top of an ancient pyramid with a unexplained force slowly hunting them. FEATURING: Jeremy Goeckner &...

MonsterCast is nearly over but we have two more bit of terror-filled fun before we done! We start with one of our favorite mainstays of MonsterCast: The Huluween Bite Size Horror Film Fest. This year Hulu has made it bigger than ever with 28 horror shorts and, just like the last two years, we've ranked them all to give our top prize. Who wins it this year? You'll have to listen to find out! FEATUR...

FULL DISCLOSURE is closing out their MonsterCast slate by taking a look at the first two episodes of the new Amazon Prime paranormal comedy series Truth Seekers from the creative minds of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. FEATURING: Jeremy Goeckner Don't forget to follow/reach us at: Website:  www.nprillinois.org/programs/front-row-network Twitter:  @frontrowreviewz Email:  thefrontrowmoviereviews@gmail....

Flashback is closing out their MonsterCast slate for the month with a special DOUBLE EPISODE! Blumhouse has released their new iteration of The Craft so the crew is taking a look at the 1996 original and then doing a FULL DISCLOSURE review of the new The Craft: Legacy. FEATURING: Ryan Lootens, Erin McCabe & Jay Hoffman Don't forget to follow/reach us at: Website:  www.nprillinois.org/programs/fron...