The First Run

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt catch up with another movie Matt has never heard of with George Miller’s (yes, that George Miller) ‘Three Thousand Years of Longing’. Tilda Swinton plays a scholar that specializes in storytelling, of legend and myth. She finds a bottle and releases an honest to goodness Jinn, played by the overly handsome DJ Idris Elba. So what wishes will be granted? An...

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt discuss the return of everyone’s favorite Esther, it’s ‘Orphan: First Kill’. In this prequel to the cult classic, they take a BIG swing, but does it connect? For the hit.  It’s a baseball metaphor.  Then our Malick Marathon continues with its penultimate entry, ‘Night Of The Cups’. Christian Bale stars as a lost man in search of himself. As ther...

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt catch up with the latest offering from A24, the post-post-modern murder satire ‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’. Someone turns up dead during a friendly game, but who dun it? And does it even matter?  From there it’s on to the Brad Pitt led latest over-saturated action cameo-fest, ‘Bullet Train’. So many stars! So much potential!  So much movie!  The...

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt head deep into the frontier as we discuss the latest Predator sequel, ‘Prey’. In this entry, a budding Comanche warrior goes up against one of the fiercest hunters in the universe. Can she take it down? And how much Mary Sue BS does the internet stir up this time? Then our Malick Marathon continues with ‘The Thin Red Line’. Malick’s fictional story during...

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt check out the first animated feature for A24, it’s ‘Marcel The Shell With Shoes On’. Jenny Slate and Dean Fleischer-Camp bring their wildly popular shorts to the big screen in a heartwarming tale that hits all the buttons. Perhaps unremarkably so?  Then Matt and Chris get their visual poetry on with ‘Days of Heaven’, the first entry in their Terrence...

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt discuss Jordan Peele’s third film, his third number one debut, and the most successful original IP film of the year, ‘Nope’.  After the smash success of ‘Get Out’ and the thrilling, but not quite as good ‘Us’, Peele returns with his take on the alien horror, comedy, social commentary, western, sci-fi, mystery, family drama genre.  Then they guys...

This week on The First Run, Chris is recovering from a particularly nasty bug that prevented him from venturing out to the theaters and has affected his voice. He wants his ravings to be at the crystal clear quality you've come to expect so there is no new episode for this week. But fear not, most loyal listener. Your podcast BFFs are not going to leave you high and dry. For your listening pleasur...

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt check in on what’s been going on in the ol’ MCU as Phase 4 continues with ‘Thor: Love And Thunder’.  Taika Waititi’s ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ is a favorite around these parts and we were anxious to see what was next. Then, HemsFest continues with Joseph Kosinski’s (of Top Gun Maverick fame) reunites with Miles Teller for the paranoia thriller, ‘Spiderhead’.&...

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt lace up their Chuck Taylors and head down to the court to shoot some hoops as Adam Sandler returns in the Netflix original, ‘Hustle’. The sports movie is a tried and true genre, but is there enough there to make for compelling viewing? Or is it a clichéd exercise?  Then it’s on to the horror import, ‘You Won’t Be Alone’, that takes a more humanist tu...

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt get their spooky time on with the latest from Blumhouse, ‘The Black Phone’. Is it the best horror movie in ages or is that more hyperbole from the desperate fan base of a genre with the lowest bar for entry and yet the highest bar for quality? Your know-it-all internet uncles are here to make the definitive call. Then they dive into the lemarchand box of...

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt discus the latest content from Disney, it’s ‘Lightyear’, the movie Andy saw that inspired his love for the Buzz Lightyear character and toys! Is it a fitting sorta’ origin for Buzz? And where is poor, poor Tim Allen? Then it’s time for the guys to grow up one more time with the latest coming-of-age film, ‘Cha Chan Real Smooth’. This time, a young man is a...

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt take one last ride around the park with ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’.  Is this a fitting send off or proof that this franchise should have remained extinct?  Then it’s on to discuss ‘Rise Roar Revolt’ or ‘RRR’, the Tollywood action film that was a smash hit in India and is taking the rest of the world by storm. Are we going to have another example...

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt discuss Cronenberg’s return to gross, icky, body horror sex stuff with ‘Crimes Of The Future’.  After a run of critically acclaimed thrillers, a shift into smaller, odder films, Daddy Cronenberg is back, but does he still got it?  And it meaning Ewww and Ohhhh…  Then it’s another theatrical release, IFC Midnight and Shudder presents ‘Watche...

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt break out the aviators and cue up the Kenny Loggins for the sequel to that Tom Cruise volleyball movie, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’. 35+ years later, is the magic still there, or was the original such an artifact of its time that the past should have been left well enough alone.  Then it’s on to Taiwan for the extreme horror riff on The Crazies, ‘The Sadness...

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt get into a philosophical discussion about Men.  Specifically Alex Garland’s latest, ‘Men’. #NotAllMen, but maybe #MostMen?  After the successes of ‘Ex Machina’ and ‘Annihilation’ (and the rumored ghost directing of ‘Dredd’), Garland returns with a horror film about toxic bro’s, bro. And so much more.  Too much more?  Then CageFest wrap...

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt discuss the latest Stephen King adaptation, scratch that, the latest adaptation remake. The film sparking our interest this time is ‘Firestarter’.  We’ve long been supporters of remaking bad films, and John Lester’s original is far from a classic.  So does ‘Firestarter’ light us up?  Then CageFest continues with ‘Vengeance: A Love Story’.&n...

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt discuss the latest entry to the MCU and Sam Raimi’s directorial return to comic book movies, ‘Dr Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness’. Do we have another event MCU film with the Fox characters (X-Men, Fantastic Four, etc.) make their big debuts? Plus Chris shares his thoughts on the latest AMC Feature Drink, ‘The Sorcerer’. Then, CageFest continues with...

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt discuss the Finnish horror film, ‘Hatching’. A film that is at once unimaginable and at the same time deceptively simple.  Then Cage-Fest continues with Matt “Ripping His Shirt” and I discussing the Larry Charles helmed comedy, that’s right, the Borat director’s ‘Army Of One’ has Cage on a mission to bring in Osama Bin Laden, alive!  T...

This week on the First Run, Chris and Matt go on a raid with Robert Eggers’ highly anticipated Viking revenge Hamlet (but not really) homage ‘The Northman’. After finding success with ‘The Witch’ and ‘The Lighthouse’, can Eggers’ streak of great films that begin with indefinite articles continue? Then we kick off our CageFest marathon with the meta action comedy, ‘Unbearable Weight of Massive Tale...

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt discuss the latest (and lastest?) in the Fantastic Beasts series, ‘The Secrets Of Dumbledore’.  The Harry Potter expansion returns with Eddie Redmayne, who should have lost that Best Actor statue to Michael Keaton, Dan Fogler, Jude Law, and Mads Mikkleson taking over for Johnny Depp. Can the series redeem itself from its droll cash grab roots? ...

This week on the First Run, Chris and Matt catch up with yet another multiverse film in the Daniels’ ‘Everything, Everywhere All At Once’ with Michelle Yeoh. We also get into some Bay-hem with ‘Ambulance’, featuring Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Can there be too much Everything-Go-Boom?  There’s the discussion of the big physical media releases, featuring the Straight to DVD...

This week on a special 601st anniversary episode of The First Run, initially things looked pretty bleak for your intrepid hosts. Not only do Matt and Chris discuss the latest Marvel side piece, ‘Morbius’, Chris messed up and watched ‘The Bubble’, forgetting that we all agreed last week to watch ‘Fresh’.  So what did we do? We watched all three. Plus Chris debuts a new feature! So was the...

This week on a special 600th episode of The First Run, Chris and Matt discuss the return of the romantic adventure genre featuring Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum in ‘The Lost City’.  A historical romance writer is kidnapped as she may know certain clues to a lost treasure.  Is it a genre primed for a comeback? And how is the chemistry between Bullock and Tatum? Then it’...

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt discuss the latest from Ti West, ‘X’.  After the fantastic ‘House Of The Devil’, the underwhelming ‘The Innkeepers’, and the solid ‘The Sacrament’, West returns with his loving tribute to 70’s slashers.  The kids seem to love it, but is it scary?  Then the psychological super-hot sexy thriller featuring super sexy Ben Affleck...

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt discuss the latest Ryan Reynolds / Shaw Levy team up, ‘The Adam Project’.  After the success of ‘Free Guy’, the two return for a sci-fi actioner for Netflix featuring Reynolds’ unending, some say unbearable, charm, drama, romance, and thrills! But does it end the drought of the star’s lack luster Netflix produced content?  Then it...