Are You Screening? Podcast

We're reviewing The Magnificent Seven this week, and it's a great break from the less-than-stellar offerings that have hit theaters at the end of the summer. A showy cast takes on a classic, but can they make it work, and is it ultimately worth your money? We'll also take you through the latest industry news, give you a quick rundown of the new Fall show on TV, and we've got a new Critic Takedown...

Clint Eastwood and Tom Hanks come together to give you the story of Sully, the pilot who landed a plane of a river in New York without serious injury to anyone. Though hailed as a hero, he soon came under scrutiny for his decision not to head to either of two nearby airports. Simulations seem to show that he could have made it, but he sticks by his decision. It's an interesting story, and Eastwood...

The tail end of summer brings us War Dogs. It's a somewhat strange effort for Todd Phillips, but Bradley Cooper is involved, so it seems to make a bit of sense. Based on a true story, two young punks want to get in on the newly-broadened world of arms dealing, but one of them is a little crazy, and neither of them know what they're doing. Miles Teller and Jonah Hill star, but despite the trailer,...

Can Suicide Squad save the summer? Another film that people have been looking forward to, and now another comic-book film, Suicide Squad has a chance to wash the bad taste out of the mouths of movie fans, but can the DC/Warner Bros. title match the expectations of those who have been anxiously awaiting this heroless effort? Much has been made of the production of the film, and that may be a factor...

The end of summer is fast approaching, and we've been disappointed in most of the tentpole films this year. Will Jason Bourne be any different? We have high hopes, but the summer has beat us down. We may be fans of the franchise, but it's been a long time since Matt Damon was in the role, and nothing lasts forever. Is this one that you need to see in the theaters, or will Summer 2016 break this on...

It's been a crazy couple of weeks in the movie world, and things are getting weirder all the time as the end of summer approaches. This week, we'll be looking at Ghostbusters and Star Trek Beyond, two films that had a lot of controversy heading into them. People couldn't stop talking about Ghostbusters, becoming one of the most blasted films ever, long before anyone had even seen a trailer, causin...

It's an interesting spot in the summer, with movies hitting that don't have a surefire audience, and/or have had to deal with a lot of active negativity. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates is one that didn't seem to build a lot of momentum coming into the release, and we'll let you know if this one is worth your time. It has a certain amount of name power, especially with Anna Kendrick and Zac Efron...

Summer is heating up, but the films we're getting right now don't exactly feel like summer. Independence Day: Resurgence may have the big-budget, action angle covered, but even that one doesn't have the kind of pull you expect. "Big, kid movies," isn't quite what you think of as "summer film," but the movies taking over are just that. We'll let you know if these are worth your time, and give you o...

We're giving you the rundown on two films this week, and it's been a strange ride at theaters for both of them. Warcraft is doing solid business, especially internationally, but is getting shredded by critics. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is getting decent reviews, and is overloaded with stars and cameos, but isn't quite raking in the money the way some obviously hoped. We'll let you know if...

We're going to see how the superheroes continue to shake out this year with a review of X-Men: Apocalypse. It's the year's first superhero film that doesn't focus on people being pissed about collateral damage, and it's a big swing for the X-Men franchise. There's a lot going on, a lot of characters to cover, and even a quick glance at Wolverine. But, is it worth it? We'll let you know if you need...

Shane Black takes a chance on updating a genre with The Nice Guys, and managed to get Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling on board, but is it a film that works well enough that we might actually expand similar offerings soon? We'll let you know if this one is worth your time, and if you need to catch it in theaters during the superhero bookended release schedule. We'll also let you in on upcoming relea...

We're reviewing Keanu this week as the pre-summer release schedule turns a little cold in the wake of Captain America. We'll also give you a "sort of" review of Money Monster, and give you a preview of what's coming up. As a special bonus this week, as television upfronts have hit, we'll give you a quick rundown of the shows that did, and didn't, make it to next year. A lot of your favorites proba...

It's finally here, and we're reviewing Captain America: Civil War. Few movies have been more anticipated recently, and there has been a lot of speculation about the introduction of new characters, and just how well the "Avengers"/Captain America effort would come together. We'll let you know if this one is going to be worth your time. We'll also run through some of the latest industry news, and le...

We're reviewing The Huntsman: Winter's War and The Jungle Book this week. The prelude to some of the biggest titles of the summer, the week doesn't quite have the punch we're going to see in May, but nevertheless some surprising films when it comes to box office. We'll let you know if you need to get to these. Plus, we'll discuss industry news, upcoming films, and more.

We're taking a look at Kevin Costner's latest, Criminal, which involves transferring a CIA operatives memories into a lifelong criminal's brain in order to prevent a madman from destroying the world. Is this one worth your time, or is it as goofy as it sounds? We'll also give you the rundown on some industry news, and let you know what's coming your way in theaters. Also, we'll give you a quick re...

We're taking a look at Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and we'll let you know if the general critical response should mean anything to you. Already widely panned by many, the film's box office take hasn't been thrown off course yet. Luckily, it's a movie that you have to see, even if you are convinced it's going to be bad, which means there's bound to be another. But, is it worth it?  We'll al...

We're reviewing the latest in the Divergent series of films, Allegiant, and we're following up our best and worst lists with our own awards, The Can't Win Awards. We'll let you know if another trip with Shailene Woodley is worth your time, and we'll be showing off our own awards season flair with our Can't Win Awards. We pick the top 5 awards (Film, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay) for mo...

We're reviewing the bizarre not-exactly-sequel, 10 Cloverfield Lane, and we're revealing our Worst Films of 2015 lists. Cloverfield is getting some interesting reactions, and John Goodman alone is getting a lot of attention, but does this one actually manage to be worth your time? If you saw the original Cloverfield, you might not be sure which way to go.  We'll also bring you some of the latest i...

We're going to give you our Best Movies of the Year lists, and run through all the movies you have to make sure don't slip by you. We'll take you through the films we loved most, a lot of honorable mentions, and let you in on why our lists aren't likely to look like everyone else's. Along the way we'll make sure you know which of these films are going to make it on your own list as well, and we'll...

We're reviewing Deadpool this week, and hopefully catching up on a few other titles as we make our way to our best and worst lists. Ryan Reynolds' anti-comic has been breaking records, and we'll let you know if it's worth the time and all the hype. We'll also take a look at everything that happened last year, just how locked up the Oscars are at this point, and give you some more hints at our best...

It's the final stop before our Best and Worst lists, including Critics' Choice Awards coverage, plus we're covering The 5th Wave. We're still trying to finalize our lists, and now that the Critics' Choice Awards are over all eyes are on The Oscars. That means we have some movies to try to get to, like Carol, The Big Short, and several others, but we've also got to get to The 5th Wave, especially b...

We'll be reviewing Joy and Carol, along with a few others as we finish up 2015's coverage. We'll also be giving our thoughts on the Golden Globes, tonight's Critics' Choice Awards, and much more. With the Globes already done, and the Critics' Choice about to hit, we're right in the heart of award season, and we'll let you know what should have won, what should win, and what it all means for the Os...

This week is all about Star Wars, but there are other movies out there. We'll review Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Sisters, which also opens this week, and we'll try to get to some of the other films jockeying for awards. It's a big test in Disney's buyout plans, and while the merch alone will make for a good deal over time, whether The Force Awakens can bring back fans or not is going to mean...

Marc and Shane start wrapping up the year, and the closer award shows get, the more movies there are to cover each week. Creed, Concussion, and Black Mass have managed varying degrees of success at the box office, and some nominations, but we'll let you know if you need to check them out, and if they're worthy of whatever attention they've already received. Boxing, football, and the mob make for a...

Marc and Shane start their end of year push as award season closes in with Spotlight, Steve Jobs, and as many other movies as they can get to. It's that time of year, and as everyone starts talking about which movie has the most buzz going into the final countdown of award season, we'll try to get through as many as we can, including some that we didn't cover from earlier in the year. Spotlight is...