Movie Schmovie

After snacking on a couple recent news tidbits, the guys ride along with the beleaguered paramedic protagonists of Steve’s Required Viewing pick, Code 3. Then it’s an update on the third episode of Welcome to Derry and a few thoughts from John regarding Guillermo Del Toro’s passion project out on Netflix today—a very personal take on Frankenstein.

Ron’s Required Viewing pick is Good Boy, a new horror film that focuses on a dog’s point of view, starring a lovable canine actor who deserves all the treats. After that topic, it’s time to check back in on the supremely messed-up happenings in Stephen King’s Derry, Maine, followed by a brief rundown of other stuff the guys have watched.

The guys tunnel down to the underground city of Midian to check in on Clive Barker’s Director’s Cut of his dark fantasy epic from 1990, Nightbreed, and then follow the usual format of rattling off thoughts on whatever else they’ve watched, including Ron’s take on Tron: Ares and John’s spoiler-free look at the debut episode of HBO Max’s IT prequel series, Welcome to Derry.

In addition to Steve’s disturbing Required Viewing pick—the bleak and gory Bring Her Back—the guys run through a few recent things they’ve seen, and Ron gets physical with another 4K purchase.

This is a classic instance of the title of the episode saying it all. So we can use this space for other topics. How are you?

Director Satoshi Kon’s last film was the mind-bending, beautifully animated Paprika, and it gets a lot of love from the guys in this week’s Required Viewing segment, which is sadly not the way it goes for another film: Him (in theaters now), directed by Justin Tipping. Rounding out the show, John shares thoughts on the season two opener of Gen V, and Steve takes us on a stroll with The Long Walk.

It’s time for another Corn Beef Hash! Aka Ron’s perfectly logical term for an episode where the guys do Required Viewing and then a round of whatever else they watched, without a real plan. Find out in real time who saw what! But don’t expect a full explanation of the hash thing.

The guys discuss Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 classic, High and Low, which is Ron’s Required Viewing choice, and then gab about other things they’ve watched recently, like Alien: Earth and the new HBO crime drama, Task, starring Mark Ruffalo in scruffy mode. 

After a few weeks of radio silence, Ron, Steve, and John are back! Join them as they check into a hotel room nightmare with 2007's Vacancy, find out what's going on with Austin Butler's new crime thriller, Caught Stealing, and get ready for the next level of horror from the mind behind Barbarian with Weapons. And as a special treat, they’ll get caught up on the first two episodes of Peacemaker: Se...

There will be no regular show this week, but Ron, Steve, and John will appear as guests on THE MCU’S BLEEDING EDGE’s Youtube channel, to discuss the two-episode premiere of FX’s much-anticipated series Alien: Earth. The live stream starts at 9:35 EST on Wednesday, August 13th, and will be archived later.

Steve’s low-key Required Viewing pick, a naturalistic baseball movie called Eephus, is discussed, as are a couple of new releases in theaters now, Together and The Naked Gun. John also enthuses about the latest books to arrive on his stack, and Steve catches up with recent movies after a few “down weeks.”

There’s nothing Ron, Steve, and John can’t do with a podcast. This week, though, they do precisely three things: talk about Tony Scott’s 1990 racing drama Days of Thunder, talk about the new Fantastic Four movie and what it means for the MCU, and talk about something known as “other stuff.” It’s conversation time!

John’s Required Viewing pick is director Carl Franklin’s 1995 noir thriller Devil in a Blue Dress. The guys discuss the film’s star-making turn from Don Cheadle, the screen presence of Denzel Washington, and why we never got any sequels. Then it’s time to assess the first full trailer for Stranger Things’s anticipated fifth season, as well as other recent news. Finally, Ronald talks about a unique...

The guys finally get around to Steve’s Required Viewing pick, Deep Cover, a light British spy spoof not to be confused with the 1992 thriller of the same name starring Lawrence Fishburne (which was covered back in episode 385). Then they all discuss recent things they’ve watched, and the show wraps up with Ron and John enthusing about James Gunn’s new take on Superman.

This is what we used to call a catchup eppy! I guess we still call it that. Anyway, no Required Viewing this week (patience), but the guys scrounge up enough recent stuff to cover, even so. Enjoy!

Is there anything scarier than a clown... in a cornfield? We’re about to find out! This week, Ronald's Required Viewing puts 2025’s Clown in a Cornfield front and center. Is it a new slasher classic or just a really bad dream? We’ll tell you! Then the guys dive into some franchise resurrections, like the much-anticipated Jurassic World: Rebirth and Danny Boyle's return to the zombie apocalypse wit...

John’s Required Viewing pick this week is Superman III, the campy 1983 entry in Christopher Reeve’s classic film series, featuring Richard Pryor as a morally dubious computer programmer. Then the guys run down a few other things they’ve seen, like Celine Song’s The Materialists and the live-action re-do of Lilo & Stitch.

Ron, Steve, and John assess The Assessment—a new-ish sci-fi/psychological thriller picked by Steve for this week’s Required Viewing—before moving on to a few other recent movies and shows, including Ballerina (the action-packed John Wick spinoff) and Wes Anderson’s latest deadpan character study, The Phoenician Scheme.

Join in as we discuss 1990’s The War of the Roses, the new trailer for Noah Hawley‘s Alien: Earth series, and a spoiler-filled conversation around Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.

This week on the show, the guys head out to California (where the emotions are BIG) by watching John’s Required Viewing pick, the sprawling and melodramatic Magnolia; then Ron and John check in on Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd’s toxic bromance, Friendship; and finally Steve and John chat in a non-spoiler-y way about how season one of The Studio wrapped up.

Steve’s Required Viewing pick, the brand-new over-the-top action thriller Fight or Flight, asks the question: is this Josh Hartnett’s “John Wick on a plane,” or just another movie where a disgraced federal agent ingests toad venom and kills contract killers with a chainsaw? Then Ron and John try to explain the adrenaline rush of watching Tom Cruise climb around on a biplane in Mission: Impossible...

Ron’s Required Viewing pick, Summer of 69, tries to hide a sweet coming-of-age story in a raunchy teen sex comedy, or maybe it’s the other way around. Listen in to find out how first-time director Jillian Bell did! Then Ron and John get into the emotional highs and lows of Thunderbolts*, the MCU’s surprisingly moody new entry that breathes life into the beleaguered franchise. Also: OTHER THINGS! J...

Ron, Steve, and John discuss 1990’s The Hunt for Red October, the new trailer for Zach Cregger‘s Weapons, and Sinners (yes, again)!

Steve’s Required Viewing pick leaves no tears unshed as the guys are emotionally destroyed by The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, a unique Norwegian documentary about online life, coping with illness, and the need for friendship. Then they regroup to share thoughts on other recent things they’ve watched—including more enthusing about Sinners, which John finally caught.

It’s an episode bursting with positive vibes for new movies! What more could you want? Maybe if we said “John reveals something potentially embarrassing from his past,” that would hook you in. The choice is yours.