Across the Movie Aisle

Latest Episodes:

Amy Adams's Ode to Motherhood Dec 10, 2024

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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discussed a controversial (or possibly nontroversial?) op-ed in the New York Times asking if “the awkward diversity era” of blockbuster filmmaking is over. (Gift link there so you should be able to read it.) Then they reviewed Amy Adams’s new movie Nightbitch, in which she plays a mother pushed to the brink by her unsatisfying home life. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ for our bonus episode on Friday about the Golden Globes nominations. And if you enjoyed this episode, make sure to share it with a friend!

Does 'Wicked' Defy Critical Gravity? Dec 03, 2024

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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask if it matters that people prefer AI slop to art produced by real-world hacks. (Kinda?) Then they review Wicked, a movie that’s half a movie despite being 160 minutes long. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for a discussion of Juror Number 2, out on VOD today. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!

Does 'Gladiator II' Entertain? Nov 26, 2024

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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) examine a shocking story in Vanity Fair by Vincenzo Barney about the legendary writer Cormac McCarthy’s “secret muse,” Augusta Britt, whom the 42-year-old writer met when the girl was just 16. Then they review Gladiator II, a disappointing retread of the original. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday to hear what we’re thankful for. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!

Probing 'A Real Pain' Nov 19, 2024

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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask if the Jake Paul/Mike Tyson “fight” that was “watched” (when they could get the stream to work) by “60 million people” (okay I’ll stop with the scare quotes) represents the future of streaming. Then they reviewed A Real Pain, Jesse Eisenberg’s new film about a pair of very different cousins on a tour of their family’s heritage sites. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for a bonus episode on the enduring legacy of The Wizard of Oz. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

The Joyful Pain of 'Anora' Nov 12, 2024

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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) asked if wall-to-wall celebrity endorsements might have backfired on Kamala Harris. Then they reviewed Anora, a movie fascinating in both its sympathies and its judgments. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ for Friday’s bonus episode on the best movies of the decade (so far!). And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!

'Conclave,' a Modern Old-Fashioned Movie Nov 05, 2024

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On this Election Day’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss Warner Bros. baffling decision to bury Clint Eastwood’s Juror No. 2. Why deprive young fogeys like this trio of a primo legal procedural from an aging master? Then they reviewed Conclave, another movie holding well at the box office designed to appeal to precisely the same market that Eastwood’s movie would have been aimed at. Is this Vatican-set thriller worth your time? Will the ending make you laugh out loud? All that and more on this week’s episode! If you enjoyed it (or know someone who could use an Election Day distraction), please share it with a friend!

Hopefully, this is Venom's 'Last Dance' Oct 29, 2024

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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask if comic book legend Alan Moore is right to blame toxic fandom and arrested development for the rise of Trump. Then they review Venom: The Last Dance, a movie that’s bad … but watchably so? Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ for some election even distraction suggestions. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!

The Sprawling History of Neal Stephenson's 'Polostan' Oct 22, 2024

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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss both AI witchhunts and Blumhouse’s decision to partner Meta with filmmakers in an effort to bring AI into the filmmaking fold. (You can watch the video/ad by Aneesh Chaganty we discussed here.) Then, in a slight departure for the podcast, we discuss a book: Neal Stephenson’s Polostan, the first entry in his forthcoming Bomb Light Cycle. Historical fiction examining the cultural and scientific revolutions of the first half of the 20th century by one of our greatest novelists? We were very much into it. Make sure to stick around for Friday’s bonus episode, in which we discuss scary books just in time for Halloween. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!

'Saturday Night' and the Excitement of the New Oct 15, 2024

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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask if social media influencers are the new Hollywood A-Listers. (Spoiler: they’re not. They’re something older and potentially much lamer but also maybe more interesting.) Then they review Saturday Night, a movie that revels in the excitement of The New. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ for a bonus episode on SNL movies! And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend.

'Joker' Folly Number Two Oct 08, 2024

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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the dread toxic fandom, every executive’s favorite scapegoat for why their product failed to find an audience. Then they review Joker: Folie à Deux, one of the most disastrous sequels ever made. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for a discussion of sequels that have no reason to exist. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

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