Maximum Film!

Stephen Strange is back on the big screens, and he’s f-ing around and finding out the hard way that messing with multiverses is complex business. Good news, true believers: our sherpa to the top of Mount Wundagore is MaxFun’s own Riley Silverman! What’s Good: Drea: The new Doctor Riley: The new Simple Favor Alonso: The new season of The Circle   ITIDIC: Dirty Dancing Sequel in the works at Lionsga...

The day this drops is the final day of the MaxFunDrive! Help us hit our goal by joining, upgrading, or boosting your membership! maximumfun.org/join Nicolas Cage is “Nick Cage” in the new movie from director Tom Gormican. It’s a buddy comedy, it’s an action flick, it’s a meta-commentary on movies themselves (and Cage’s career in particular). So who better to have as our guest than the author of th...

Become a MaxFun supporter or boost/upgrade your membership! maximumfun.org/join Matt Reeves' new Batman movie (maybe you heard about it?) is finally streaming, and we’re commemorating the moment with Batman nerd – ahem, EXPERT – Glen Weldon. Plus, what made-up movie drug haunts our panelists’ dreams? It’s a MaxFunDrive spectacular! What’s Good Alonso: shelled pistachios Drea: Life in Looks on YouT...

The new film from Apichatpong Weerasethakul isn’t just a movie – it’s a perpetual roadshow, with plans to keep showing the movie from theater to theater indefinitely ( check out where it's showing for the next few months ). It made a lot of best-of 2021 lists and now that the show is finally on the road, our gang weighs in, joined by LA Times film critic Justing Chang. What’s Good Alonso: A banner...

After months of waiting, a new day has come : ALINE is finally in US theaters, and there’s a lot to talk about. Luckily, the gang doesn’t have to do it all by themselves. Kyle Buchanan (whose NYT review of the movie is quoted prominently in the film’s Wikipedia page) is here to answer questions like, “how much of this is true?” and “is this movie a comedy?” Later, we’ll propose some biopics we wan...

In our unofficial, ongoing series of movies that are hard to summarize, we find ourselves back at the theater for a brand new film that’s operating on a lot of levels (in more than one sense). Then, we find out what car is being hoisted up to the Hall of Excellence rafters, AND form a new super fight squad when Ify, Alonso, and Drea select movie character skillsets to verse-jump into. What’s Good?...

Julia Ducournau’s horror thriller TITANE won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2021 and is now streaming on Hulu. It’s a movie that kinda defies description, but that’s never stopped us before! Plus, we’re nominate some of the Best Movie Cars for the Hall of Excellence. Vroom vroom!! What’s Good? Alonso: Burlap & Barrel’s Pizza Party seasoning Drea: Stitches out! Ify: n/naka anniversary dinner Tod: Play...

Multiple top-Oscar nominations and top-10 list appearances won’t stop this foursome from engaging in a healthy debate over whether Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car is worth the three-hour ride.  What’s Good: Alonso: Maintaining sanity Drea: Pep talks from kindergarteners (707-998-8410) Inkoo: Birria tacos Ify: Masala chai concentrate from Kumquat, Fly by Jing Sichuan Chili Crisp ITIDIC West Side S...

Something’s coming; something good? Comedian and film critic Brandon Collins sits in to go over the high notes and low notes of Spielberg’s West Side Story, now streaming. Plus, we play the new Box Office Game together! Will Alonso’s movie trivia prowess also apply to a randomly selected box office weekend?  What's Good : Alonso: permanent daylight savings Drea: kitchen update Brandon: SXSW ITIDIC...

>_Reveal Memory Info:   Sociologist and pop culture expert, Dr. Nancy Wang Yuen, is our guest today, as we unspool the many philosophical threads of AFTER YANG . Plus, a free-for-all movie quiz about One-Named Filmmakers (other than Kogonada)! What's Good : Alonso: a good, cold nap Drea: Milanote Nancy: an uptick in Asian American film Ify: new office! ITIDIC: Zoe Kravitz was told not to audition...

As if being the most watched movie on Netflix in its debut weekend weren't enough, now A MADEA HOMECOMING  (which brings Tyler Perry's famous character out of "retirement" after just three years) has the distinct honor of being discussed by the Maximum Film! gang, plus our esteemed guest, Tre'vell Anderson.  Plus, an ITIDIC packed with brilliant ideas and a Hotline packed with "warm-and-fuzzy" gay...

Melvin Van Peebles' SWEET SWEETBACK'S BAADASSSSS SONG was a monumental moment for Black cinema and a gamechanger for cinema as a whole. Not only are we joined by the great Michael Jai White, whose BLACK DYNAMITE was a direct descendant of SWEETBACK, but his friend Mario Van Peebles (son of Melvin, and star of BAADASSSSS! , which tells the story of the making of today's film) pops in to drop some w...

Dee Rees's first feature, 2011's PARIAH, is a groundbreaking work of queer cinema and an inspiration for director Olivia Peace's own debut film, TAHARA (which premiered at Slamdance in 2020). They first watched it back in high school; so how does it hit different 11 years later? Then, we answer the HOTLINE and consider movie premises that didn't live up to the their promise...s. What’s Good Mentio...

Fresh off getting a slew of Oscar nods for his KING RICHARD, director Reinaldo Marcus Green joins us to talk about the peerless Sidney Poitier's Oscar-winning performance in 1963's LILIES OF THE FIELD.  Then, how will the panelists fare in a newsy quiz about Oscar firsts?? What’s Good Mentions Alonso - treasured memories of Entertainment Weekly Drea - Olympic athletes Ify - Lake Arrowhead and the...

How is ETERNALS like eating tapas in New York? Believe it or not, that question is answered in this week's episode, alongside a Sundance recap, blockbuster casting news, and more with Hollywood Reporter TV Critic Angie Han.  And of course, your Hall of Excellence champion (category: Badass Denzel Performance) is revealed! What’s Good Mentions Alonso - honeycrisp apples Drea - refurbishing videos I...

What’s black and white and now streaming on AppleTV Plus? Why it’s Joel Coen’s solo directorial debut, The Tragedy of Macbeth , starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand as a couple with big dreams and no chill…well, maybe they have a little chill in this version? Up for debate. How does this Macbeth measure up in categories like: Bloodlust! Justifying its existence! Cool-looking Birnam Woo...

Biz Ellis (from MaxFun's own One Bad Mother ) joins Ify, Drea, and Alonso this week to weigh in  on Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Lost Daughter,  a raw and unflinching portrait of how annoying kids can be. Is Olivia Colman's character a bad mother? Can an introspective art film be as tense as a kaiju fight? Then, the hoses resort to movie memes to predict what 2022 will bring... What’s Good Mentions Alo...

What’s Good Mentions Alonso - Yellowjackets Drea - Bagged Salad Ify - Peacemaker Ricky - I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend by Martin Short ITIDIC Penelope Cruz wants to do a musical with her husband w/ Almodovar directing The Oscars will have a host this year Sidney Poitier Movies Mentioned in the Episode In the Heat of the Night Lilies of the Field A Patch of Blue A Raisin in the Sun...

What’s Good Mentions Alonso - S1E2 of Grand Crew Drea - Taskmaster In News Matt Damon gets skewered for Crypto.com commercial Jon Stewart calls out J.K. Rowling for Antisemitic goblins in Harry Potter Gothenburg Film Festival’s mass hypnosis Buy Alonso's book - I'll Be Home for Christmas Movies                                                                                                         ...

It’s the end of 2021! Which means that Maximum Film is releasing our year-end Top Ten lists. There isn’t a single unanimous film picked by all three hosts! Lots to discuss and debate in this one. Plus, we hand out our prestigious Maxie Awards, which recognizes excellence in filmmaking from the past year. And, as always, we’ve got ‘Staff Picks.’ Top Ten Lists: Ify – Luca, Annette, Coda, Dune, Godzi...

HO HO HO! It’s our Christmas episode! And what better type of movie to discuss than a Hallmark Christmas movie. This is why we’re talking about the queer-friendly ‘Every Time a Bell Rings.’ Plus, we have a surprise visit from Santa Claus, who needs help with some future Hallmark movie ideas. And, as always, we’ve got ‘Staff Picks.’ Buy Alonso’s book – I’ll Be Home for Christmas Movies Staff Picks:...

Since we’re smack dab in the middle of the Christmas season, it’s time to get cozy, hang out with friends, and watch some Christmas movies. Which is exactly what we’re doing! We have our old pal on the show, comedian and writer for Troubled Waters , Riley Silverman. And she’s joining us to talk about the new queer Christmas movie, ‘Single All the Way.’ Plus, we have an important update on the upco...

That’s right, we’re talking about the Simon Rex vehicle ‘Red Rocket.’ We also answer a call from our hotline regarding “cozy movies.” We have another ‘Christmas Movie Minute.’ And, as always, we’ve got ‘Staff Picks.’ In news, a new study says people aren’t going back to the theaters and the shitty The Daily Wire is making a (probably) shitty movie . Buy Alonso’s book – I’ll Be Home for Christmas M...

YEAH BABY YEAH! We’re traveling back to the “Swinging Sixties” to talk about ‘Last Night in Soho.’ We also discuss the career of Edgar Wright and compare this film to the others in his oeuvre. We answer a question on our ‘Hotline’ regarding movies that made us uncomfortable while watching. We’ve got another edition of the ‘Christmas Movie Minute.’ And, as always, we’ve got ‘Staff Picks.’ In news,...

It’s our Thanksgiving episode! And one of the things that we’re thankful for is that ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ is finally on Disney Plus, which is why we’re talking about it this week. We’re also thankful for our incredible guest, the host of ‘Yo, Is This Racist?’ , Andrew Ti. Since it’s that time of year we also discuss the Max Film ‘Turkeys of the Year.’ We’ve got another insta...