Fan Effect

Andy Farnsworth joins KSL-TV to help audiences decipher #WhatToWatch for the weekend of June 27, 2025 . Even if you're not necessarily a racing fan, " F1 The Movie " (from the director/producer of Top Gun Maverick) is a spectacle worth checking out on the biggest screen and best sound possible. Also out is  " M3GAN 2.0 ", which kind of felt like "Terminator 2", but still was different enough...

Andy Farnsworth joins KSL-TV to help audiences decipher #WhatToWatch for the weekend of June 2o, 2025 .  The latest animated movie from Disney/Pixar, called " Elio, " is our Big Movie of the Week, and it has some fun, imaginative elements that your kids will likely enjoy a little more than you.   Producer KellieAnn Halvorsen even offers her own review of the non-sequel and non-boot film...

Andy Farnsworth joins KSL-TV to help audiences decipher #WhatToWatch for the weekend of June 13, 2025 . The excellent live-action remake of " How to Train Your Dragon " benefits from strong casting, the iconic musical score remaining largely unchanged, and the incorporation of additional characters. Fans of the animated movie and subsequent streaming series should be pleased. Producer KellieAnn Ha...

This Summer, soft-launches a new first-of-its-kind family-friendly festival described by founder Julia Leviton as “Think Sundance meets Coachella” here in Utah. The “ Eden Festival” has the lofty goal of uniting film, music, immersive technology, and gaming in a three-day event in 2025, and then a 10-day festival in 2026.  Fan Effect guest host, KSL NewsRadio's Heather...

Andy Farnsworth joins KSL-TV to help audiences decipher #WhatToWatch for the weekend of June 6, 2025 . Ana de Armas holds her own in an action-packed entry to the John Wick mythos in “ From the World of John Wick: Ballerina ," and yes, John himself (Keanu Reeves) does make an appearance. The latest Wes Anderson film hits theaters with its appreciative creativity and precision in " The Phoeni...

Andy Farnsworth joins KSL-TV to help audiences decipher #WhatToWatch for the weekend of May 30, 2025 . A new chapter in the Karate Kid movie saga is the big movie of the week!  " Karate Kid: Legends " sees Ralph Macchio return to the big screen as Daniel LaRusso, but in more of a sequel to the 2010s’ Jackie Chan "Karate Kid" movie. Still, at only 90 minutes long, it's worth checking out...

Andy Farnsworth joins KSL-TV to help audiences decipher #WhatToWatch for Memorial Day Weekend 2025 . There are no shortages of choices on what to watch this holiday weekend as summer blockbuster season starts with two beloved characters facing off in a box office battle for first place, “Stitch vs Ehan Hunt.”  " Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning " features Tom Cruise's fin...

Andy Farnsworth joins KSL-TV to help audiences decipher #WhatToWatch for the weekend of May 16, 2025 . While Andy had never seen any of the previous "Final Destination" movies before watching " Final Destination: Bloodlines ," he did think it was clever and laughable, even if the genre wasn't his forte. But documentaries wond the weekend with Netflix's fascinating look at the internet-famous guy w...

Andy Farnsworth joins KSL-TV to help audiences decipher #WhatToWatch for the weekend of May 9, 2025 . A colorful palette and an earnest attempt at modernizing the classic Shakespearean tale just weren't enough to make Andy like " Juliet & Romeo .” But he did like watching season 2 of " Poker Face " on Peacock, with Natasha Lyonne returning in the clever murder-of-the-week series with an...

On this "What's Your Favorite Fandom?" episode of Fan Effect, Chris Graham of " Games & Things " returns to talk all things Tolkien. While J.R.R. Tolkien's works "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" always seemed to be a part of Producer KellieAnn's life (even her childhood dog was named after a character), Chris's introduction was more meandering yet meaningful. Together, they discuss the...

A ndy Farnsworth joins KSL-TV to help audiences decipher #WhatToWatch for the weekend of May 2, 2025 . Summer movie season unofficially gets underway this week with the release of " Thunderbolts* " from Marvel/Disney.  If you like the characters or you just like Marvel movies, you'll probably enjoy this. Another movie, this time on Amazon Prime Video, is " Another Simple Favor" from Anna Kend...

May has a lineup of fun fandom holidays, and we are taking advantage of the fun this weekend. Producer KellieAnn is joined again by Jonathan Trujillo King of the Utah Arts Alliance , and new nerdly friend Roger Prows, co-owner of The Nerd Store(s) .  Together, they discuss their involvement in the local comic, artistic, and pop culture world. Roger expands on the history of Free Comic Book Da...

Andy Farnsworth joins KSL-TV to help audiences decipher #WhatToWatch for the weekend of April 25, 2025 . Ben Affleck returns as the assassin/accountant on the autism spectrum in “ The Accountant 2 ,” and this follow-up features great chemistry with Jon Bernthal as his brother. Also in theaters is a locally made film about Utah's first Olympic gold medalist , titled “ Raising the...

Local filmmaker T.C. Christensen ’s latest family-friendly and faith-forward film, " Raising the Bar: The Alma Richards Story ," hits theaters April 24, 2025, and we are excited to learn all about the film. Producer KellieAnn Halvorsen crashes Andy Farnsworth’s conversation with T.C. for a KSL Movie Show Digital Extra , dissecting the story, the filming, and the power of storytelling w...

Andy Farnsworth joins KSL-TV to help audiences decipher #WhatToWatch for the weekend of April 18, 2025 . While Andy is not a fan of horror movies, if vampire horror is your thing, " Sinners "  might appeal to you. He has to give credit to director Ryan Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan for making the deservingly R-rated movie into something pretty creative. Also in theaters, a so-so animated...

In our first FanX episode of 2025 , guest host Heather Kelly from KSL NewsRadio is joined by FanX Salt Lake Comic & Pop Culture Convention founder Dan Farr to preview the September event. Last week, they announced one of the biggest celebrity guests in the universe, with actor David Tennant joining the lineup of out-of-this-world guests, including fellow space traveler William Shatner . #FanX2...

Andy Farnsworth joins KSL-TV to help audiences decipher #WhatToWatch for the weekend of April 11, 2025 . With the Easter holiday just around the corner, Angel Studios has an extremely clever and well-done animated film to prepare for the celebration called " The King of Kings ." The family-friendly Christian film follows Charles Dickens as he tells his young son the story of Jesus Christ, and the...

Andy Farnsworth joins KSL-TV to help audiences decipher #WhatToWatch for the weekend of April 4, 2025 . Despite not having any experience playing Minecraft, the game, Andy found " A Minecraft Movie "  to be funny and fun to watch with his kids--who DID know the game very well. But he might have found the best thing he has seen so far this year with " Bob Trevino Likes It ." A heartwarming and...

Andy Farnsworth joins KSL-TV to help audiences decipher #WhatToWatch for the weekend of March 21, 2015 . Andy actually enjoyed Disney's new " Snow White ;" catchy songs, likable characters, and a good message helped him overcome the continuity problems and other issues. This is not to be confused with Producer KellieAnn’s less-than-optimal review . Also in theaters is a new (and weird) movie...

The latest Disney’ live-action remake was years in the making and years of remaking as critiques from actors, potential audiences, and critics alike sent it to redevelopment ‘heck.’ But finally, avid Disney fangirl, our cohost and producer  KellieAnn Halvorsen , has seen and is ready to pull apart the mess of potential that is “Snow White” 2025 . She is joined by...

In this “What’s your favorite fandom?” episode of Fan Effect, we boldly go into the universe of  Star Trek . KellieAnn Halvorsen is joined by fellow Trekkies  KSL NewsRadio’s Heather Kelly and Heroic charity cosplayer Eric Allan Hall . For nearly 60 years, Star Trek has inspired generations of fans to not just reach for new scientific frontiers but to explore diff...

Andy Farnsworth joins KSL-TV to help audiences decipher #WhatToWatch for the weekend of March 14, 2025 . The action/comedy/romance " Novacaine ”  is surprisingly entertaining...If you can get past the bloody violence (and that's a big IF). A new Looney Tunes movie hit the theaters after it had been shelved, " The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie ," features favorites like Daf...

Andy Farnsworth joins KSL-TV to help audiences decipher #WhatToWatch for the weekend of March 7, 2025 . " Mickey 17 " is an enjoyably clever sci-fi flick from Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-Ho. DisneyPlus has brought back a classic hero in " Daredevil: Born Again ”  in an intense way that won't be for people who dislike violence, but fans will absolutely *love* it. On the other hand,...

Andy Farnsworth joins KSL-TV to help audiences decipher #WhatToWatch for the weekend of February 28, 2025 .  Ed Harris is central to our two theatrical releases this weekend, in “ My Dead Friend Zoe ,” which tells the story of a military veteran struggling to deal with her PTSD, and " Riff Raff ", a mixed family's New Year's is upended when the father's ex-wife and son show up bei...

While KellieAnn is recovering from surgery, our good friend Heather Kelly is guest hosting Fan Effect this February with her limited Money Making Sense series live from Sundance 2025. This episode is ” Third Act .” Filmmaker Tadashi Nakamura had big shoes to fill, following in his father's footsteps.  So, he made a documentary about his dad, Robert A. Nakamura , the godfather of A...