Maximum Film!

Latest Episodes:

Episode #455: 'Is God Is' with Sherin Nicole May 22, 2026

Show notes

Part revenge thriller, part Greek tragedy, and fully its own thing, Aleshea Harris’s directorial debut is an adaptation of her own award-winning Off-Broadway show. We have Geek Girl Riot’s Sherin Nicole with us to talk about all the twists, turns, and treacheries.

Then we have a fun quiz about “twin” movies.

What’s Good?
Alonso - Farmers markets (even for non-chefs)
Drea - Richard Osman’s House of Games
Sherin - nephew’s elementary school graduation
Kevin - the gasman came by…

ITIDIC
Sweeney/Seyfried Thriller The Housemaid Is Headed to the Stage
Discourse Around American Accents in Nolan’s The Odyssey Trailer

Staff Picks
Alonso - The Addiction of Hope
Drea - Mile End Kicks
Sherin - Nine Days
Kevin - Obsession

Listen to Sherin’s show Geek Girl Riot

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinmaxfilm

With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Episode #454: Count on 'The Sheep Detectives' May 15, 2026

Show notes

If you didn’t have “Hugh Jackman/CGI Talking sheep murder mystery” down as a lock to be both a critical hit and a box office success, you’d be forgiven. Does it help or hurt to know that it’s director did all the MINIONS movies and it’s screenwriter did both THE HANGOVER and HBO’s CHERNOBYL? We get into all of that, plus our favorite moments in talking animal moviedom!

What’s Good
Alonso - Tacolate at Salt and Straw
Drea - roasted edamame
Kevin - cleaning up the office for real this time

ITIDIC

Staff Picks
Drea - now available to rent: Project Hail Mary, You, Me, & Tuscany, The Christophers
Alonso - Blue Film
Kevin - Theater Camp

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinmaxfilm

With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Episode #453: 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' with Katie Walsh May 08, 2026

Show notes

What’s RUNWAY like in 2026? THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2 takes that question pretty seriously. We’ve got film critic (and former 2000s-era abused NYC assistant) Katie Walsh with us to talk about the fashion, the journalism, the nostalgia, and the cerulean of it all.

What’s Good
Alonso - Family Movie Night Menus by Leonard and Jessie Maltin
Drea - mom volunteering with for movie causes
Katie - Hudson Williams (and Connor Storrie) at the Met Gala
Kevin - The Traitors UK (and The Celebrity Traitors UK S2 casting)

ITIDIC

Staff Picks
Alonso - Into the Woods
Drea - Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come
Katie - Tuner
Kevin - All About Eve

This episode was edited by Gabe Mara.

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinmaxfilm

With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Episode #452: 'Michael' with Tre'vell Anderson May 01, 2026

Show notes

MaxFunDrive is almost over! Don’t wait – ensure the future of this show at MaximumFun.org/joinmaxfilm

Jaafar Jackson (son of Jermaine) dances his slouch-socked feet off in Antoine Fuqua’s new Michael Jackson biopic. And we have no less a personage than Tre’vell Anderson here to help us figure out how to feel about what was left in and what was left out. Then we’ll talk about some biopics that really work for us.

What’s Good
Alonso - Hitchcockian Thrillers by Stephen Rebello
Drea - costumed bar crawl
Tre’vell - grand opening of Maroon in Las Vegas
Kevin - Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears by Michael Schulman

ITIDIC

Staff Picks
Drea - All That Jazz
Alonso - Hokum
Tre’vell - Hidden Figures
Kevin - Apollo 13

This episode was edited by Gabe Mara.

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinmaxfilm

With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

[BONUS] Drea on 'Sleeping With Celebrities' Minisode: Bigfoot Guys, Aliens Guys, and That’s the Two Types of Guys Apr 29, 2026

Show notes

Support great shows like this one! Er, these TWO! Head to maximumfun.org/join right now to pledge your allegiance. And THANK YOU!

Drea made a guest appearance on John Moe's SLEEPING WITH CELEBRITIES and we're dropping it for you in this feed as a special #MaxFunDrive treat.

Drea Clark, one of the hosts of the popular and important Maximum Film! podcast has a theory: all middle-aged Guys think about the Roman Empire but from there, the Guys separate into Bigfoot Guys and Alien Guys. Sure, there are anomalies but you can mostly separate guys into those groups. Our host, John Moe, Bigfoot Guy, gets Drea’s opinion on where Rock History Guys, Computer Guys, and other Guys sort out into the Bigfoot and Aliens camps. Is it an airtight taxonomic argument? Not really. Is it an intriguing enough argument to let you conk out? Oh yes.

It’s MaxFunDrive! Become a Max Fun member and supporter of Sleeping with Celebrities by going to the link: www.MaximumFun.org/joinsleeping. Support Drea and our other friends at Maximum Film! by going to www.MaximumFun.org/joinmaxfilm. That will take you to our one stop portals for becoming a $5 a month member. To explore other membership options as well as our wonderful gifts (our delightful Sleepyhead keychain!), go to www.MaximumFun.org/join.

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinmaxfilm

With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Maximum Sidebar! Episode 1 (BoCo Teaser) Apr 27, 2026

Show notes

Head to MaximumFun.org/join by May 1, 2026! Just interested in supporting Maximum Film!? Do not pass Go: Go directly to MaximumFun.org/joinmaxfilm

Here's a teaser of our first MAXIMUM SIDEBAR! episode! Drea, Alonso, and Kevin each brought something to discuss in the areas of food, self care, technology. Members get to hear it all, plus so much more BoCo (that's short for bonus content, folks).

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinmaxfilm

With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Episode #451: MOTHER MARY, Why You Buggin' Apr 24, 2026

Show notes

It’s MaxFunDrive! We need your support, and want you in our club! Head to MaximumFun.org/join to become a member or increase your pledge. And THANK YOU!

David Lowery’s is back in his ethereal bag (or is it a dress? defo there's a ghost though...right?) with MOTHER MARY, a look at art, soul, collaboration, and self, through the relationship of a mega popstar and her once-and-future fashion queen. Then, we do a movie quiz about pop star cinema!

What’s Good
Alonso - Pop Tarts Super-Stuffed
Drea - MTV Rewind
Kevin - LA Times Festival of Books

ITIDIC
Gen Z Going to the Movies
CinemaCon Recap

Staff Picks
Alonso - The Serpent’s Skin
Drea - Phantom Thread
Kevin - The Five Heartbeats

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinmaxfilm

With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Casters on Casters: MaxFilm! Double Feature Apr 20, 2026

Show notes

It's MaxFunDrive. And here, for the first time, we give you an exclusive look (well, listen) at the craft of podcasting: presenting Casters on Casters.

For MaxFilm! listeners, we're kicking off the MaxFunDrive with a DOUBLE FEATURE of Casters on Casters. Both Alonso Duralde and Drea Clark participated in two separate recordings of this incredibly important podcasting event. The first episode you'll hear features Alonso chatting with Ben Blacker (Dead Pilots Society) and Hal Lublin (Tights and Fights & We Got This with Mark and Hal). In the second episode, the Queen of the Midwest chats with Ella Hubber (Let's Learn Everything!) and Allan McLeod (Walkin' About). In other words, we're bringing you six different podcasting perspectives in one big super episode. You'll hear name dropping, podcast origin stories, ruminations on the art form, listener contributions to the show and what makes Maximum Fun a great place to have a show. All this, and more!

If this glamorous, in-depth journey into what makes your favorite hosts tick inspires you, support them by joining as a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Produced by Laura Swisher for Maximum Fun.

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinmaxfilm

With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Episode #450: 'You, Me & Tuscany' with Dory Benford Apr 17, 2026

Show notes

A rom-com is going to rom-com, but YOU, ME, & TUSCANY is actually doing at least one thing that feels pretty unique. We talk about this new movie from Kat Coiro and producer Will Packer (starring Halle Bailey & Regé-Jean Page) with All the Feels podcast’s Dory Benford.

What’s Good
Drea - friends coming by and doing helpful stuff
Dory - Easter candy
Alonso - chocolate pound cake

ITIDIC
Over 1000 Big Hollywood Names Sign Letter Opposing Paramount/WB Merger
Elaine May’s MIKEY & NICKY to get 50th Anniversary Theatrical Rerelease
Mario Bros. Sequel Sets Record…for Smallest Popcorn Bucket

Staff Picks
Drea - French Kiss & Only You
Dory - Bull Durham
Alonso - Yes

This episode was edited by Gabe Mara.

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinmaxfilm

With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Episode #449: 'The Drama' with Ariel LeBeau Apr 10, 2026

Show notes

What’s the drama behind director Kristoffer Borgli’s new film, THE DRAMA? And, unlike Mary J. Blige, do we want said drama? We unpack all that with film critic Ariel LeBeau, and then talk about some movies that were secretly darker than advertised.

What’s Good
Alonso - Flossing first
Drea - Artemis II
Ariel - soft boiled eggs for breakfast (6m)
Kevin - rediscovering Billy Joel

ITIDIC

Staff Picks
Alonso - Marc by Sofia
Drea - The Christophers
Ariel - Dogfight
Kevin - One Hour Photo

this episode edited by Gabe Mara

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinmaxfilm

With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher