Maximum Film!

We have a dang delight for a guest this week. We are joined by the self-proclaimed “artist, educator, and instigator” Nayland Blake to discuss Rebecca Hall’s directorial debut, ‘Passing.’ Drea also suggests that Alonso and his husband Dave dress up as “Turkey Pugsley” from ‘Addams Family Values’ in honor of Thanksgiving. Plus, we have another installment of the ‘Christmas Movie Minute.’ And, as al...

YEEHAW! It’s Western week ’round these parts! That’s why we’re discussing the new film ‘The Harder They Fall.’ And we are joined by a real scholar of the Western genre, the writer and director of such films as ‘The Ballad of Lefty Brown’ and ‘Dead Man’s Burden,’ Jared Moshe. Plus, we hear from our friend Jordan Crucchiola about her new Maximum Fun movie podcast, Feeling Seen . We’ve got another in...

It’s ‘Dune’ week here at Maximum Film, and we inhaled this movie like some sort of addictive spice. We tackle the most scintillating topics in this film, like the sexual chemistry between mother and son Rebecca Ferguson and Timothée Chalamet. Plus, we have another installment of the ‘Christmas Movie Minute.’ And, as always, we’ve got ‘Staff Picks.’ In news, Ice Cube exits his latest film because h...

It’s the final week of our Queer Horror Month and we’re going out with a bang. Our good friend Jordan Crucchiola joins us to talk about the homoerotic classic, ‘Interview With The Vampire.’ We discuss how this movie takes a lot of cues from queer cinema but never goes far enough to make an actual statement. We have another edition of the ‘Hall of Excellence’ where we induct “Cinema’s Hottest Vampi...

It’s the third week of our Queer Horror month and we are gabbing it up about 2014’s ‘Lyle.’ Some have described this film as the “Lesbian Rosemary’s Baby.” But we explore why that is a reductive assertion. And joining us on the show is the wonderful comedy writer Monica Vasandani. She is a mother herself and she sheds some light on the nuances of parenthood presented in the film. Plus, we take a q...

In honor of the Max Fun Block Party, ‘Maximum Film!’ is joining forces with those silly boys of ‘My Brother, My Brother and Me’ to talk about the best and worst advice we’ve gathered from movies. Important topics discussed include: having sex with pastries, how to spot a Joe Pesci, and the staff not featured in ‘Beauty and the Beast.’ Plus, there’s almost a knife fight for some reason. Make sure t...

It’s the second week of our Queer Horror Month and we’re discussing a classic – 1985’s ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge.’ We are joined by one of the true scholars of this movie, filmmaker Michael Varrati. We dissect the homoerotic subtext (and text) of the film, and what it’s like to watch it through a 2021 lens. We also recast some of the classic killers of cinema. And, as always,...

We are kicking off our month-long Queer Horror series with a real doozy – 1981’s ‘Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker.’ And joining us is the literal perfect guest for this episode, horror director and the director of the upcoming queer horror documentary on Shudder, Sam Wineman. In addition to discussing the film, we also play a horror edition of “Would You Rather?” And, as always, we’ve got ‘Staff P...

This week we’re discussing ‘The Mad Women’s Ball’ with the “Mad Woman of Podcasting” a.k.a. “The Young Pope of Citywalk” – Julia Prescott. We also answer a call on our ‘Hotline’ about the actor performances that seem like auditions for other films. Plus, we give an update on our favorite unauthorized Celine Dion biopic that we’ve never seen – ‘Aline.’ And, as always, we’ve got ‘Staff Picks.’ In ne...

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie! And so are we! This week we discuss this fabulous, coming-of-age, drag musical. And who better to have on the show than the man who wrote the literal damn book on drag, Frank DeCaro. We also submit a new entrant into the ‘Hall of Excellence’ for ‘Cinema’s Most Important Wig.’ And, as always, we’ve got ‘Staff Picks.’ In news, Daniel Craig has some thoughts on the fu...

We are on the cusp of spooky season! And to get us in the mood, we’re talking about the new James Wan horror, ‘Malignant.’ This movie is one wild ride and the Maximum Film gang is loving every minute of it. Plus, we admit a new entrant into the ‘Maximum Film Hall of Excellence’ under the category of “Best Horror Performance.” And, as always, we’ve got ‘Staff Picks.’ In news, Paramount is moving aw...

This week we discuss the new film ‘CODA,’ which stands for “child of deaf adults.” And joining us is the hilarious comedian, and real-life child of deaf adults, Moshe Kasher. Moshe explains how accurate the film was at portraying the life of a “CODA,” as well as pointing out some of the more interesting American Sign Language translation choices. Plus, we answer a question on the ‘Hotline’ about b...

This week we’re talking about the controversial new Leos Carax film, ‘Annette.’ And don’t worry, we definitely discuss that one scene – A.K.A. “cunni-sing-us.” Plus, we talk about the unique career of Adam Driver. And, as always, we’ve got ‘Staff Picks.’ In news, Paramount pushes several releases, Lilly Wachowski explains why she’s not working on ‘The Matrix Resurrections,’ and David Dastmalchian...

It’s our second episode in our miniseries on Los Angeles in film. And this week we’re concentrating on Hollywood, baby! Which is why we’re talking about that infamous producer Robert Evans and his narrated autobiographical documentary, ‘The Kid Stays in the Picture.’ Joining us to discuss this juicy subject is none other than the film critic who spent a great deal of time in Robert Evans’ mansion,...

This episode kicks off our mini-series on Los Angeles in film. We start with the ultimate doc about Los Angeles representation, ‘Los Angeles Plays Itself.’ And joining us this week to talk about LA in film is the fabulous film critic Carlos Aguilar. The gang discusses their own relationship with the city they live in, the city of angels. Plus, they cover which films most accurately represent the c...

This week we are not talking about “A” suicide squad, we’re talking about “THE” Suicide Squad. And joining our discussion, all the way from Australia, is author, screenwriter, and film curator Maria Lewis . We also answer a question from the ‘Hotline’ about favorite side characters in movies. And, as always, we’ve got ‘Staff Picks.’ In news, Marvel pays its writers diddly-squat for storylines adap...

This episode is almost exclusively A24 content. We chat about the production company’s new release, The Green Knight . We also take an A24 quiz, handed out by the “quizmaster” producer Casey O’Brien. And joining us to discuss all this artsy-fartsiness is the wonderful Mia Vicino, who may be better known under her popular Letterboxd profile name BRAT . And, of course, we finish things off with some...

We have a very special episode this week. In conjunction with Geena Davis’ Bentonville Film Festival, we are discussing Thelma & Louise in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the film’s release. And we are joined by our good pal Katie Walsh as we drive off a cliff together in our proverbial Ford Thunderbird. Drea, who serves as film curator for the festival, takes us through some of the special...

This week the gang is discussing a movie that no one was particularly excited about; Space Jam: A New Legacy . And its biggest proponent, Ify Nwadiwe, had the audacity to not be available to record this episode. But producer Casey fills in and does his best to speak on his behalf and the behalf of all those who have a nostalgic soft-spot for the original film. Plus, the crew answers a question fro...

This week the gang is chatting about the latest entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Widow . Plus, they take a quiz about bug-related superheroes which results in Ify threatening Producer Casey’s life. And, as always, we’ve got ‘Staff Picks.’ In news, Greta Gerwig is set to direct the Barbie movie and Brian De Palma says he was wrong to mock “The Force” the first time he saw Star Wars ....

Let’s all take a metaphorical and horrifying trip down to Tampa as we discuss Janicza Bravo’s Zola . Based on the viral Twitter thread by A’Ziah “Zola” King, the Maximum Film! gang dissects the movie and discerns whether the filmmaker was successful in adapting the thread to the big screen. Plus, they answer a call from the ‘Hotline’ about their favorite “Up All Night” movies. And, as always, we’v...

Our 200th Episode! Can ya believe it??? And what better way to celebrate than talking with our good pal Demi Adejuyigbe about the newest Fast & Furious film, F9 . We put the film through our usual diagnostic test to see how it stacks up against the other Fast & Furious films. Plus, we take a Fast & Furious quiz to test our knowledge of the franchise as a whole. We have ‘Staff Picks,’ as usual. And...

This week’s episode is a unique one. During the MaxFunDrive we had a stretch goal that stated that if we reached 250 new and upgrading members, one lucky member would get to choose the movie we discuss on an episode. Since we reached our stretch goal, we randomly selected a member, and that person turned out to be the wonderful Merrell! The movie they chose for us to discuss is 2004’s Mind Game ....

On this week’s episode we are IN THE HEIGHTS! We tackle the new Lin-Manuel Miranda-penned film. We also chat about what makes a good movie musical. Plus, we answer a call from the hotline about the movies that truly surprised us. And, to finish things off, we’ve got ‘Staff Picks.’ In news, Tyrese does not seem to grasp what is in the MCU , Vin Diesel cannot keep a secret , and Todd Solondz has a n...

FASHION! That’s the name of the game with this episode. And who better to have on the show than the hosts of Fishnet Flix , a podcast about fashion in film, Marie Lodi and Blaire Bercy. They join us to discuss the movie about that villainous fashionista, Cruella . Plus, Blaire and Marie share a segment from their show, ‘Add 2 Cart.’ This is where we talk about an item we were inspired to buy from...