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.
Is 'Poor Things' Rich with Meaning?
Dec 19, 2023
Show notes
On this week’s show, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) talked about Netflix’s big data release. What plays? What doesn’t? What are they trying to signal to talent? Then they reviewed Poor Things, the latest confection from Yorgos Lanthimos. Does this feminist Frankenstein starring Emma Stone have something to teach us about the world? Or is it an amusing trifle? Make sure to swing by for Friday’s bonus episode on studios’ recurrent desire to hide that musicals are in fact musicals. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!
Miyazaki's Swan Song: 'The Boy and the Heron'
Dec 12, 2023
Show notes
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the Golden Globes and the odd fact that the same company owns not only the Globes but also the three biggest trade publications in Hollywood, meaning that studios will feel pressured to pay the press that covers them hefty For Your Consideration spots in exchange for awards consideration. Seems bad! Then they review what is, supposedly, Japanese animation giant Hayao Miyazaki’s final film, The Boy and the Heron, the number one movie at the box office last weekend. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for our bonus episode on subtitles, dubbing, and one good thing AI might be able to do. And if you enjoyed this episode please share it with a friend!
A 'May December' to Remember?
Dec 05, 2023
Show notes
This week, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss Bob Iger’s decision to slam Disney’s “messaging” in recent movies. Does he really think the company is going broke because it went woke? Or is he simply trying to distract from the structural problems Disney has made for itself with its streaming service? Then the gang discusses May December, the new Todd Haynes movie starring Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman that just hit Netflix and is earning tons of Oscar buzz. Make sure to swing by this Friday for our bonus episode on the epic new John Woo movie, Silent Night, in theaters now. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!
Is 'Napoleon' an Epic Wonder or Blunder?
Nov 28, 2023
Show notes
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the removal of Melissa Barrera from the forthcoming Scream sequel in the wake of comments deemed antisemitic by the film’s producers. Then they review Ridley Scott’s epic, comic take on Napoleon, aptly titled Napoleon. Make sure to swing by Friday for our bonus episode on great directors who do not consistently make great films. And if you enjoyed this episode please share it with a friend!
How True to History Does Historical Fiction Need to Be?
Nov 21, 2023
Show notes
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) talked about Ridley Scott’s riotous press tour and his disdain for historical nitpicking while also reckoning with the responsibility, if any, popular fiction has to represent the reality of the world. Then they reviewed The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the prequel everyone was begging for. No bonus episode this Friday: enjoy your Thanksgiving, everyone. If you enjoyed thisepisode, please share it with a friend!
Why 'The Marvels' Crashed and Burned
Nov 14, 2023
Show notes
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss Warner Bros.’s plan to indefinitely shelve Coyote vs. Acme for tax purposes and what that says about the streaming business writ large. Then they review The Marvels, which recently had the worst opening ever for a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie and continues the studio’s cold streak. Make sure to swing by Friday for our bonus episode on AI provisions in the new SAG-AFTRA contract. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!
'Priscilla' and Sofia Coppola's Gilded Cages
Nov 07, 2023
Show notes
On this Tuesday’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) have a fine time highlighting Marvel’s myriad problems, from the serious (a star facing criminal charges) to the hilarious (a version of the character Blade in which Blade is the fourth lead in his own movie, taking a backseat to a quartet of ladies who teach him life lessons). Then they review Priscilla, the new film from Sofia Coppola about Elvis Presley’s wife. Make sure to swing by Friday for our bonus episode on Sofia Coppola and her brand of upper-class ennui. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!
'Five Nights at Freddy's': The Fall's Surprise Hit
Oct 31, 2023
Show notes
On this Tuesday’s show, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the fall’s surprise breakout at the box office: Five Nights at Freddy’s, a property you’ve almost certainly never heard of if you’re over the age of 35 but almost certainly love if you’re under the age of 18. How did Universal turn this into a monster hit despite putting it on Peacock and in theaters simultaneously? And then we review The Killer, David Fincher’s latest for Netflix starring Michael Fassbender as the titular killer. Is it a slick exercise in style, a sly comment on the whole hitman subgenre, or a scathing indictment of modernity’s detachment of labor and laborer? Maybe all three, wrapped up in a little techno-critical ribbon, a perfect gift for Fincher’s Netflix overlords. Make sure to swing by Friday for our bonus episode on the meaning of the explosion of hitmen on film in recent years and what it all might mean. And make sure to share this episode with a friend if you enjoyed it!
Have Scorsese, DiCaprio, and De Niro Done It Again?
Oct 24, 2023
Show notes
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the cancellation of Jon Stewart’s show by Apple. Was it driven by fear of criticizing China, or, possibly, something far more prosaic? Then we set our sights on Killers of the Flower Moon, Martin Scorsese’s new film starring Martin Scorsese and his two most frequent onscreen collaborators, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. There’s much to discuss about Scorsese’s epic, which focuses on the murders of the Osage people in Oklahoma in the 1920s and asks who can tell their story. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for our bonus episode, a Martin Scorsese movie draft. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!
The Taylor Swift Concert Movie Spectacular
Oct 17, 2023
Show notes
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the state of the AMPTP/SAG-AFTRA talks and why this strike might drag out longer than anyone expected. Then they review the much-anticipated Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, which is definitely a 165-or-so-minute movie that recreates most of a Taylor Swift concert! But is it any more than that? And does it need to be? Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for our bonus episode on great movie books tied to The Hollywood Reporter’s list of 100 greatest movie books. And if you enjoyed this episode—or are a Swiftie outraged by our lack of faith in your pop overlord—make sure to share it with a friend!
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