Across the Movie Aisle

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch, Alyssa Rosenberg, and Peter Suderman discussed how to best respond to South Park ’s war on the Trump Administration and its cronies. Then they reviewed Weapons , the funniest scary movie of the year (so far!) that nevertheless has a poignant, melancholic core. (There are spoilers in this chat, so just let it be known that all three recommended it heartily if yo...

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch, Alyssa Rosenberg, and Peter Suderman ask why The Wizard of Oz is being mutilated via the alchemy of AI to be shown on the enormous 16K-resolution screen at The Sphere … and why Sonny is, honestly, kind of into it. (You can watch the CBS Sunday Morning segment on Oz at The Sphere here .) Then they review The Naked Gun , a movie so funny it brought this episode t...

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discussed the New York Times ’s decision to move away from traditional reviews for certain cultural products. (You can read the Richard Brody piece discussed here .) Then they reviewed The Fantastic Four: First Steps , a perfectly fine movie that strenuously avoids really digging...

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discussed the cancellation of The Late Show . Is this move being motivated by politics or the declining economic prospects of linear TV more broadly? Then they reviewed Eddington , Ari Aster’s gonzo look at life in 2020, the year of Covid and The Doomscroll. Make sure to swing by...

Apologies: an editing snafu led to last week’s episode being reedited and uploaded in the initial version of this post.  On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask why Keanu Reeves, of all people, is the most-impersonated celebrity by scammers and how AI is being used to take money from lonely elderly people. (For more...

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discussed the bad precedents set by media outlets being bullied by Donald Trump into backing down from defending the free press. Then they review Jurassic World Rebirth , a dino adventure more interested in the ethics of big pharma than big dino. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on...

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss Denis Villeneuve’s new gig: director, Bond director. Is he the man for the job? And who should he bring on as his James Bond. What does James Bond even mean in the modern world? Then they review F1: The Movie , Apple’s first big theatrical hit. Make sure to swing by Bulwar...

In this bonus episode, Sonny, Alyssa, and Peter draft their favorite Danny Boyle films—from 28 Days Later to Slumdog Millionaire , Sunshine to Steve Jobs . But the real star of the show? Boyle’s new film 28 Years Later . The crew breaks down why it might be one of the best movies of the year—and how it redefines the legacy sequel.

Danny Boyle says he couldn’t — and shouldn’t — make Slumdog Millionaire today. Sonny Bunch, Alyssa Rosenberg, and Peter Suderman dive into the cultural appropriation debate, the limits of identity in art, and how this all relates to Boyle’s latest film, 28 Years Later . They also tackle how these same culture-war battles are reshaping YA fiction, Hollywood, and who gets to tell which stories.

In this bonus episode of Across the Movie Aisle , Sonny Bunch, Alyssa Rosenberg, and Peter Suderman debate the state of the romantic comedy. Is When Harry Met Sally the unbeatable blueprint for the entire genre? Why have rom-coms fallen off—and are they finally making a comeback? They break down everything from Ephron classics and screwball oldies to Judd Apatow bros and modern rom-cons.

In this episode of Across the Movie Aisle , host Sonny Bunch is joined by Alyssa Rosenberg and Peter Suderman to unpack the outrage over indie film platform MUBI’s investment ties and whether ethical boycotts are even coherent in modern capitalism. Then they dig into Celine Song’s latest film Materialists , a rom-com that tries to be profound—but might just be pretty nonsense.

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the latest effort by conservatives to break into the world of big-time film production, this effort headed by Leonard Leo of the Federalist Society. Then they review The Phoenician Scheme , a movie some might describe as … conservative? Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ for o...

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask if the fractured media landscape makes it harder to mint movie stars. (You can read the discussed piece by Nicholas Quah here .) Then they review Lilo & Stitch , which has turned out to be a smash hit for Disney. Turns out families like having things to take young kids to,...

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discussed how AI is both helping animators lip sync cartoons and also completely inventing books for summer reading lists . Then they review Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning , the conclusion of a series that has grown up with—and grown wary of—the digital age. Will ‘The Ent...

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) say goodbye to Max and take a mild victory lap in the process. Then they review Friendship , the new cringe comedy from Tim Robinson and A24. Is it the feel-bad movie of the year or just a feel-bad movie? Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ for our summer preview episode on Friday. And...

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss Spencer Kornhaber’s feature in The Atlantic asking if this is the worst period of American pop culture ever. Then they review the first nine episodes of Andor ahead of the series finale that hits Disney+ today. (Some spoilers through the ninth episode, but none for the las...

On this week’s episode, Peter’s off today, so Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark) is joined only by Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post) to discuss what, precisely, Donald Trump hopes to accomplish with his movie tariffs. Or what they’d even look like, really. Then they review Thunderbolts* , a well-reviewed standalone Marvel movie. What is this, 2014? Make sure to swing by on Friday for our bonus episode...

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the aging up of our movie star roster . Then they review The Accountant 2 , a buddy comedy masquerading as an action movie. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for our bonus episode about Revenge of the Sith . And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend! 

Alyssa is off this week, so Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark) and Peter Suderman (Reason) are joined by Ben Dreyfuss ( Calm Down ) to discuss all things Sinners . In cons and nons, they ask if Coogler’s unusual deal granting him copyright on the movie 25 years hence will really “destroy the studio system.” And then they review the film, which has done boffo box office and earned a coveted A from CinemaSco...

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the myriad ways in which tariffs could hurt (and maybe in one very minor way help) the entertainment business. Then they review Warfare , the latest film from Alex Garland and co-writer/co-director Ray Mendoza. No bonus episode on Friday, but we’ll be back with a full epis...

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason/ Coruscant ) ask if the wild behavior of teens and tweens at A Minecraft Movie is good or bad for the moviegoing experience. Then they review The Studio , AppleTV+’s new panic attack in television form. Is it too stressful to be funny? Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ this weekend fo...

Apologies: Due to an audio editing error, Peter Suderman’s track wasn’t audible in the first version of this file that went out. Everyone’s here now!  —SB On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) examine how Donald Trump’s “warrior for free speech” at the FCC, Brendan Carr, is using his position to punish companies whose...

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask if Tom Ortenberg and Briarcliff’s mission to distribute contentious movies like The Apprentice and Magazine Dreams is a controversy or a nontroversy. (You can find the Wall Street Journal article referenced in the episode here .) Then they review Snow White , a disastrous misf...

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss Joe Russo’s war on Harvey Weinstein (but not for the reasons you might think). Then they review Black Bag , a movie that makes marriage look fun. (Kinda. Depending on the fun you like.) Make sure to swing by Friday for a bonus episode on how to resurrect movie marketing. A...

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) try to fairly adjudicate Kathleen Kennedy’s run at the Disney-owned Lucasfilm. Then they review Mickey 17 , a movie that’s more committed to timely satire than big ideas. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for an episode on the new literalism. And if you enjoyed this episode...