Now Playing - The Movie Review Podcast

For eighteen years Hugh Jackman has played Logan - the popular X-Men hero also known as Wolverine. His first appearance in 2000's X-Men helped launch the modern age of cinematic superheros. But now, after playing Wolverine nine times Jackman is ready to hang up his claws. His planned final performance is in Logan -- a violent and dour film that reteams Jackman with The Wolverine director James Man...

In the 1970s Stephen King gave his version of a vampire tale with 'Salem's Lot.  In the '80s he wrote another classic horror monster story. The novella was called "The Cycle of the Werewolf", but the film was called Silver Bullet.  Does a pre-Lost Boys Corey Haim stand a chance against a rampaging werewolf? And who's scarier, the wolf or Gary Busey? Join the Now Playing hosts to find out!

February 24 is Twin Peaks day.    It's designated as such because the first episode of Twin Peaks is set on February 24, 1989--the day Laura Palmer's body washed up on the shore of the small town.   Now join Arnie, Jakob, and Stuart as they watch and review the pilot episode of Twin Peaks, including the international version which solves the murder!  Then head to NowPeakingPodcast.com. It's a dona...

Before Twin Peaks there was Blue Velvet -- David Lynch's first tale of  Kyle MacLachlan investigating a small town murder. This violent, sexy, surreal film has been ranked one of Lynch's best, and helped put Easy Rider Dennis Hopper back on top. Is this a mystery worth solving?  Join the Now Playing hosts to find out!   Then head to Now Peaking Podcast.com for reviews of every Twin Peaks televisio...

John Wick thought he'd left his killer lifestyle behind. After avenging his beloved pet he was ready to literally bury his past...but the underworld is not yet done with him. Keanu Reeves is back in the sequel to the sleeper hit John Wick. Does this one go off as well as the first? And what does it have in common with The Matrix? Join the Now Playing hosts to find out!

John Wick exploded out of nowhere. This film was announced in September, 2014 for release just a few weeks later. And thanks to the star power of Keanu Reeves, a strong trailer, and a high concept, the lack of promotion didn't matter--it quadrupled its modest budget.  Now, just over two years later, Wick is back in theaters for Chapter 2. Prepare for it by joining the Now Playing hosts as they giv...

Fifteen years ago Paul W.S. Anderson and Milla Jovovich transformed Resident Evil from a successful video game franchise to a hit movie series. They released a new film every two to three years, and made almost one billion dollars worldwide.  Now, after a five year absence, they are back to conclude the series in The Final Chapter. Can Alice defeat the big boss and give the series a fitting ending...

Ten years after Resident Evil first hit screens it came back for Retribution!  This fifth movie brings back actors, and plot points, from previous installments. Can the return of Michelle Rodriguez, Sienna Guillory, Colin Salmon, and Oded Fehr breathe new life into this zombie series? Join the Now Playing hosts to find out!

It was no surprise that Resident Evil would return for a fourth film. That original series creator Paul W.S. Anderson returned, however, was surprising. Bringing James Cameron's 3-D cameras he attempted to make the most eye-popping yet. Did this breathe new life into Afterlife or should we call in the executioner? Join the Now Playing hosts to find out!

Alice goes Beyond Thunderdome on the Fury Road in Resident Evil: Extinction -- a Mad Max movie for gamers (it even ends with a final fight in a cage!) In this post-apocalyptic wasteland a group of survivors band together to travel to Alaska, where they are promised a civilization free of zombie infection. But who is their biggest obstacle -- the zombified birds and humans, or Umbrella Corporation'...

The first Resident Evil film ended with what seemed like the end of the world -- Alice alone in a desolate, abandoned Raccoon City.  Picking up from that very moment Apocalypse reveals all is not lost as there is plenty of life in the city, but not for very much longer.  With new friends Jill Valentine and Carlos Olivera, can Alice make a deal to escape before the city is nuked, all while dodging...

In 1995 Paul W.S. Anderson scored a major hit with Mortal Kombat, a box office hit grossing more than double any other video game adaptations.  In 2002 Capcom hoped Anderson could beat his own high score with Resident Evil.  Based on the zombie survival-horror game, this movie brought the game's iconography and added some martial arts action. The movie was a success and launched the longest-runnin...

Fans of Star Wars comics, books, video games, and cartoons have long known the universe is ripe for adventures outside of the Skywalker family tree. But with Rogue One this type of story comes to the big screen for the first time. Detailing the group of rebels who steal the original Death Star plans, this film was seen as a creative risk by Lucasfilm. The result was one of the biggest opening week...

The original Dune mini-series broke Sci-Fi channel records for viewing. Three years later they attempted to hit that same peak with the sequel Children of Dune.  Combining the stories of two Frank Herbert novels, this three-part series brings back old characters and introduces new ones in the continuing story of House Atreides.  Should you watch these Children?  Listen to this episode of Now Playi...

In this holiday season you can head to your local Chopping Mall to pick up the new Blu-Ray release of this 1986 horror cult classic. A brand new transfer and lots of bonus features accompany this new release. Going even further, on this podcast Arnie Carvalho talks to Chopping Mall director Jim Wynorski and writer Steve Mitchell, dispelling internet rumors and finding out about the making of this...

The Dune novels have built a universe full of history and lore. So many details and characters exit that it seemed even David Lynch had trouble squeezing Frank Herbert's original novel into two hours, but could it work in six?    In 2000 the Sci-Fi Channel released Frank Herbert's Dune -- a three-night mini-series telling of the fall of House Atreides, and the rise of its son Paul.  How does this...

Frank Herbert's novel Dune had a long path from the novel to film. After a series of false starts it finally hit theaters in 1984 directed by Oscar nominated director David Lynch.  The director turned down Return of the Jedi for this other sci-fi epic. Yet while both are space fantasies on desert planets, Jedi was populated with muppets and Dune came with a pamphlet to help moviegoers unfurl the d...

As the school year ended in 1986 John Hughes gave the world a film honoring playing hooky -- Ferris Bueller's Day Off.  On the surface this is a fluffy comedy about three teens set loose in Chicago, but its themes and characters clicked with audiences and have endured for thirty years.  Now, as Now Playing continues its look at the films of 1986, Arnie, Marjorie, and Justin skip school to give you...

I am not an animal! I am a human being!  That quote from David Lynch's The Elephant Man has become part of the American lexicon, quoted in literally hundreds of movies and television shows.  But what of the film that created the quote? Lynch's 1980 black and white biopic, his first commercial production, was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won many other statues. How does The Elephant Man h...

David Lynch is a popular director of such films as The Elephant Man, Dune, Wild at Heart and Mulholland Drive. And he became a household name with his 1990 TV Series Twin Peaks where "Who killed Laura Palmer?" was the new decade's "Who shot JR?".  But before all those films came Eraserhead - Lynch's surreal feature debut. It has become a midnight-movie cult hit and its meaning has been debated for...

Fourteen movies into the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes the Strangest movie yet -- Doctor Strange. This film eschews all the other movies' science fiction basis to bring that magic feeling to the franchise.  Can lauded actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, and Tilda Swinton cast their spell on our reviewers?  Listen now to find out!

After swearing he was done with horror movies, director Rob Zombie scared up some crowd-funded money to make a tale of Halloween murder-- 31.  Featuring a group of carnies trapped by psychotic clowns, the film is a throwback to Zombie's earliest films. But is retro horror what we need, or is it just too much clowning around? Join the Now Playing hosts as they treat your trick with this special Hal...

It took three years for Blumhouse to scare up a sequel to Sinister. Original creator Scott Derrickson had moved on to make Dr. Strange, but he returned to co-write and produce this follow-up. But can a story of a demon shaming Deputy So & So live up to the suspense of the original? Justin, Stuart, and Arnie are here to fill your trick or treat bag with this bonus podcast! So listen to find out...

The Pet Sematary series returned from the grave in 1992. The three years in the ground (or the video stores) did it no favors as the return looked little like the '89 original. Gone was the entire cast, replaced by new star Edward Furlong -- fresh off his success of Terminator 2.  Can returning director Mary Lambert reanimate this franchise, or does this sequel smell of rot and death?  Dig up this...

One of the most acclaimed horror films of this decade was Sinister. On the surface this Blumhouse production seems little different than many haunted house films like Paranormal Activity and Insidious. But Sinister hit a note with fans, and its success and style set director Scott Derrickson on the path to direct Marvel's Doctor Strange. Is this another false scare, or is there something truly Sin...