Here’s the elevator pitch: It’s “Left, Right, and Center” meets “Siskel and Ebert.” Three friends from different ideological perspectives discuss the movies and controversies (or nontroversies!) swirling around them. You’ll have to sign up for the Substack to get bonus episodes and you can do that at movieaisle.substack.com.
Bond's Brave New World
Feb 25, 2025
Show notes
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) talked about Amazon’s newfound ability to greenlight James Bond vehicles without the approval of the Broccoli family or Eon Productions. What does this mean for the British superspy? Then they review the first proper MCU movie in nearly 18 months. Has absence made the heart grow fonder for Captain America: Brave New World? Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ for our bonus episode on Friday, when we’ll be reviewing The Gorge. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!
The Quiet Terror of 'I'm Still Here'
Feb 11, 2025
Show notes
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the blight of the Inappropriate Laughers. (Here’s a gift link to the New York Times piece we reference.) Then they review I’m Still Here, the, uh, other foreign language film nominated for best picture at this year’s Oscars. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ for our bonus episode Friday on the next generation of movie stars. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!
The Best Movies of 2024
Feb 04, 2025
Show notes
Some websites and podcasts start putting out their best-of lists on December 1. Not Across the Movie Aisle. We want to make sure you had plenty of time to see all the award-season stuff. If it takes until February, well, so be it. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!
An Unsettling 'Presence'
Jan 28, 2025
Show notes
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the, frankly, bonkers number of nominations received by Emilia Perez. Will the Academy favor it for best picture as a way to stick it to Trump? Then they review Presence, Steven Soderbergh’s new haunted house movie told from the perspective of the ghost. Is it just a formal experiment, or something more? Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for our Steven Soderbergh draft. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!
'September 5,' Working Amidst Terror
Jan 21, 2025
Show notes
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask what, precisely, Trump’s “ambassadors to Hollywood” are supposed to be doing. Then they review September 5, the harrowing tick-tock examination of how ABC Sports covered Black September’s terrorist attack at the Munich games that led to the slaughter of nearly the entire Israeli Olympic team. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!
'The Brutalist,' a Near Masterpiece
Jan 14, 2025
Show notes
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) broke down why the PVOD window has settled where it settled. Then they review The Brutalist, Brady Corbet’s three-and-a-half hour portrait of artistry and immigration and assimilation in America. (We know this movie isn’t out in most of the country yet, so we tried to keep it pretty spoiler free until minute 30. There is a warning in the audio file, but just as a heads up: stop listening at minute 30 if you’re worried about spoilers!) If you enjoyed listening, please share this episode with a friend!
Is 'Nosferatu' a Yes from Us?
Jan 07, 2025
Show notes
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discussed the announcement that a Melania Trump documentary is in the works with director Brett Ratner for Prime Video. (No, this is not Mad Libs.) Then they reviewed Nosferatu, Robert Eggers’s remake of the 1922 silent film by F.W. Murnau. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for a bonus episode about the vampyr. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!
The Rise of Bob Dylan
Dec 31, 2024
Show notes
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason), discussed Will Tavlin’s n+1 opus on Netflix and the rise—or maybe resurgence—of casual viewing as the primary mode of media engagement. Then they reviewed A Complete Unknown, James Mangold’s movie about Bob Dylan’s early years on the New York folk scene. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for a bonus episode on recent representations of the 1960s on screens large and small. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!
The Deranged Exuberance of 'Emilia Pérez'
Dec 24, 2024
Show notes
Merry Christmas Eve! On this week’s supersized episode to get you through the airport, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask if it’s a controversy or a controversy that Blake Lively’s costar and director, Justin Baldoni, seems to have orchestrated a virtual sliming of her in response to fears he was going to get called out for harassing her on the set of It Ends With Us. (You can read the whole New York Timesstory discussed in this episode via this gift link.) Then they review Emilia Pérez, Netflix’s main awards-season contender and one of the most deranged movies of the year. But hey: at least it’s not boring! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!
No One Was Cravin' 'Kraven'
Dec 17, 2024
Show notes
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) looked at The Entertainment Strategy Guy’s breakdown of podcast stats and asked if this truly was “the podcast election.” Then they reviewed Kraven the Hunter, a movie so bad it killed an entire cinematic universe. (Kinda.) Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for our bonus episode looking ahead to 2025. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!