Across the Movie Aisle

On this week’s episode Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss Ian Bogost’s essay at The Atlantic suggesting the 4K revolution is a bit of a scam . Then they review Dune: Part Two , the second half of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic novel. Make sure to swing by Friday for our bonus episode on Vulture’s ranking...

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss Ted Gioia’s breakdown of how the culture has moved from art to entertainment, into a world of distraction, and is now veering toward addiction. (Or, how we moved from Kubrick and Coppola to TikTok and IG Stories in several easy steps.) Then they reviewed Drive-Away Dolls ,...

On this week’s episode of Across the Movie Aisle, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) debated the emergence of AI video and whether it would be a net positive or a net negative for society. Then they reviewed True Detective: Night Country , which just wrapped its season up this weekend. Is it a worthy successor to season one, or something...

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) talked Super Bowl trailers (which you can watch here ). Then they turned to The Zone of Interest , the last of the best picture nominees they have to review. (If you want to hear their take on every best picture nominee, here’s the lineup in the order we reviewed them, from most r...

This week Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) asked whether Nikki Haley should be persona non grata from Saturday Night Live . Then they reviewed Argylle , which is a strange combination of distressingly empty and absurdly overstuffed. Make sure to swing by Friday for our bonus episode, in which we will offer up some suggestions of stuff t...

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) asked the most pressing question in the history of awards season: Was Barbie snubbed? Or was this, in fact, one of the best crops of nominees in decades? Then they reviewed one of the best picture nominees, Anatomy of a Fall . Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for our bonus...

A programming note: We tape on Monday afternoons, which means you will have to wait until next week for our Oscar hot takes. I know, you are quivering with anticipation! Quiver a moment or two longer. On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the decline of Pitchfork, which was gutted by Conde Nast and moved under...

Apologies, got sent the wrong file this morning, which necessitated me, Sonny, doing an emergency edit to get this to you ASAP. So when you listen to this and you hear how much worse it sounds, know that’s the difference between getting a professional Jonathan Siri edit and a quick-and-dirty Sonny Bunch edit. Sorry for the mixup! On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg...

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (the Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) talked about the TikTok-ification of The Sopranos . Clever marketing, or grotesque desecration? Then they reviewed American Fiction , which is going wide this week after a relatively limited run. Does it effectively skewer its targets in the publishing-industrial complex? Or is it...

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Peter Suderman (Reason), and Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post) discussed their ten (or so!) favorite movies of the year. You may have already seen Sonny’s list , but who knows how much things have changed in the weeks between its publication and the taping of this episode. One thing that’s definitely true: there’s more divergence this year th...

Merry Christmas! Peter, Alyssa, and I hope everyone out there is having a happy holidays. As you try to figure out what to watch with the family in this down week, we took a look at Netflix’s awards season favorite, Maestro . Before that, we dove into Marvel’s Jonathan Majors mess and asked if they made the right call in dropping him following his criminal convictions. Swing back by Bulwark+ on Fr...

On this week’s show, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) talked about Netflix’s big data release . What plays? What doesn’t? What are they trying to signal to talent? Then they reviewed Poor Things , the latest confection from Yorgos Lanthimos. Does this feminist Frankenstein starring Emma Stone have something to teach us about the world?...

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the Golden Globes and the odd fact that the same company owns not only the Globes but also the three biggest trade publications in Hollywood, meaning that studios will feel pressured to pay the press that covers them hefty For Your Consideration spots in exchange for award...

This week, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss Bob Iger’s decision to slam Disney’s “messaging” in recent movies. Does he really think the company is going broke because it went woke? Or is he simply trying to distract from the structural problems Disney has made for itself with its streaming service? Then the gang discusses May De...

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the removal of Melissa Barrera from the forthcoming Scream sequel in the wake of comments deemed antisemitic by the film’s producers. Then they review Ridley Scott’s epic, comic take on Napoleon, aptly titled Napoleon . Make sure to swing by Friday for our bonus episode on...

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) talked about Ridley Scott’s riotous press tour and his disdain for historical nitpicking while also reckoning with the responsibility, if any, popular fiction has to represent the reality of the world. Then they reviewed The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes , the p...

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss Warner Bros.’s plan to indefinitely shelve Coyote vs. Acme for tax purposes and what that says about the streaming business writ large. Then they review The Marvels , which recently had the worst opening ever for a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie and continues the studio’s...

On this Tuesday’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) have a fine time highlighting Marvel’s myriad problems , from the serious (a star facing criminal charges) to the hilarious (a version of the character Blade in which Blade is the fourth lead in his own movie, taking a backseat to a quartet of ladies who teach him life lessons)...

On this Tuesday’s show, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the fall’s surprise breakout at the box office: Five Nights at Freddy’s , a property you’ve almost certainly never heard of if you’re over the age of 35 but almost certainly love if you’re under the age of 18. How did Universal turn this into a monster hit despite putting...

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the cancellation of Jon Stewart’s show by Apple. Was it driven by fear of criticizing China, or, possibly, something far more prosaic? Then we set our sights on Killers of the Flower Moon , Martin Scorsese’s new film starring Martin Scorsese and his two most frequent onscr...

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the state of the AMPTP/SAG-AFTRA talks and why this strike might drag out longer than anyone expected. Then they review the much-anticipated Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour , which is definitely a 165-or-so-minute movie that recreates most of a Taylor Swift concert! But is it...

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) break down the business sense of Universal paying $400 million for the rights to a movie trilogy that just saw its first entry open to $27 million. (The streaming wars are wild, you guys.) Then they review the initial fruits of another big rights purchase: Wes Anderson’s four shor...

On this week’s episode, award-winning Washington Post writer Alyssa Rosenberg reports live from New York City on Toy Fair and all the hot AI trends coming to kids’ toys. And then Alyssa, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the AI-loving sci-fi original, The Creator . Spoiler alert: we talk about the things that happen in the movie, including some stuff near the end! If y...

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) celebrate the end of the writers strike and ask a very important question: what the heck took so long for the studio execs to sit down and work out a deal with the writers? Then they review Dumb Money , Craig Gillespie’s look at the pandemic-era bubble surrounding meme stock AMC....

This week, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss Drew Barrymore’s aborted decision to bring her show back sans writers before the WGA strike ends and how social media pressure is helping enforce solidarity. Then they review A Haunting in Venice , the latest adventure of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot directed by and starring Kennet...