Maximum Film!

Latest Episodes:

Episode #448: 'Project Hail Mary' with Rendy Jones Apr 03, 2026

Show notes

Ryan Gosling is on a one-man mission to save the universe...but he's not alone. We've got film critic Rendy Jones with us to discuss PROJECT HAIL MARY from directing duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Then we share some of our favorite science fiction concepts from cinema.

What’s Good
Alonso - Free airplane Wifi
Drea - skin flooding
Rendy - taking time to rest
Kevin - taking down Christmas decorations

ITIDIC
K-Pop Demon Hunters 2 Is a Big Payday for Its Directors
Lord and Miller to Produce Murder She Wrote Film With Jamie Lee Curtis

Staff Picks
Drea - Europa Report
Alonso - UFOria (available on 4K UHD)
Rendy - Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Kevin - Warrior

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 #447: 'Spacewoman' with Kevin Smokler Mar 27, 2026

Show notes

We’re capping off a month at looking at different films directed by women with Hannah Berryman’s documentary, Spacewoman. Kevin Smokler, author of Breaking the Frame: Conversations with Women Filmmakers joins us to talk about this close look at the stellar career of astronaut Eileen Collins, the first woman to pilot, and later command, a Space Shuttle mission.

What’s Good
Alonso - Calm for naps
Drea - getting a doctor’s appointment
Kevin S. - Memorizing Oscar winners as a sleep aid
Kevin A. - 3 hour Celebrity game

ITIDIC

Staff Picks
Alonso - Late Shift
Drea - Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice
Kevin S. - Say Amen Somebody
Kevin A. - A Teacher

Directors Mentioned in C-Block:

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 #446: 'Slanted' with Michelle Krusiec Mar 20, 2026

Show notes

We’re taking a good hard look in the mirror with our guest, actor/writer/director Michelle Krusiec as we discuss SXSW;s 2025 Grand Jury Prize winner, Amy Wang’s darkly comedic body horror, SLANTED. Then we’ll share some of our favorite movies that feature the prom, well…prominently.

What’s Good
Alonso - Alain Guiraudie Poster for Cannes Critics’ Fortnight (Quinzane des Cineastes)
Drea - Jessie Buckley singing Sinead O’Connor’s “Troy” (and the Jessie Buckley rabbit hole)
Michelle - not getting kidnapped (taking nothing for granted)
Kevin - People who come to FYC events for the buffet

ITIDIC
Oscars 2026 Recap
- Variety's Coverage
- Indiewire's Coverage

Letterboxd List of our "PROMinent Features" movies

Staff Picks
Drea - Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die
Alonso - It’s Dorothy! and Videoheaven
Michelle - All of Us Strangers (also Saving Face)
Kevin - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

3/21/26, 7pm: Alonso and Christy’s After Hours Screening at the Gardena Cinema

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 445: 'The Bride!' with Harmony Colangelo Mar 13, 2026

Show notes

Podcaster and writer Harmony Colangelo joins the gang to track the many movements of THE BRIDE! Then we talk about actors we’d love to see paired up on the big screen.

What’s Good
Alonso - matzoh
Drea - filing (not clipping!) nails
Harmony - definitely NOT Daylight Saving Time
Kevin - zero degrees of Kevin Bacon??

ITIDIC

Staff Picks
Alonso - Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains
Drea - Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of Harley Quinn)
Harmony - Baby Assassins
Kevin - Promising Young Woman

Listen to Harmony and BJ’s show This Ends at Prom
Or check out their book, Sleepaway Camp

Thanks to Christian Dueñas and Gabe Mara for production support on this episode.

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 #444: Ida Lupino's 'The Bigamist' with Hadley Meares Mar 06, 2026

Show notes

March is Women’s History month, and all the movies we cover this month will be directed by women! To kick things off, we’re leaning into the “history” part, and going back to 1953 to cover the most popular film from a truly pioneering director (and prolific actor), the one and only Ida Lupino. It’s The Bigamist, with our special guest, a journalist covering culture and history, Hadley Hall Meares!

What’s Good
Alonso - Stephen Rebello’s new book Hitchcockian Thrillers
Drea - Canada Dry Strawberry Fruit Splash Ginger Ale Zero Sugar
Hadley - Jane Fonda’s My Life So Far (for Vanity Fair’s Old Hollywood Book Club)
Kevin - Brand new cast iron skillet

ITIDIC

Movie Quiz Letterboxd List: “The [Blank}ist”

Staff Picks
Drea - André is an Idiot
Alonso - Micki & Maude
Hadley - My Favorite Wife
Kevin - Bottoms

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 #443: 'How to Make a Killing': It Was a Movie Feb 27, 2026

Show notes

The gang's all here to discuss a new black comedy (sorta) where its Glen Powell's Becket Redfellow in a cat and mouse game to the death with his obnoxiously wealthy family -- a modernization of the 1949 Alec Guinness film Kind Hearts and Coronets.

What’s Good?
Alonso - Slow TV walks through snowy Helsinki
Drea - Dog and Pet advocacy from Isabel Klee and the WeRateDogs guy
Kevin - getting really into the last little bit of the Olympics (especially speedskating)

ITIDIC

Check out our list of "Rags to Riches Movies" on Letterboxd.

Staff Picks
Alonso - River (2023)
Drea - The Ladykillers (1955)
Kevin - Top Gun: Maverick

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 #442: 'Wuthering Heights' with Alys Murray Feb 20, 2026

Show notes

Romance novelist and filmmaker Alys Murray joins us to unpack Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights adaptation, and (perhaps unsurprisingly) opinions are varied! What does the movie have in common with Grease 2? Listen and learn! Plus, we have a Hotline call all about movie characters that need family or couples counseling.

What’s Good
Alonso - Nathan Rabin’s The Fractured Mirror
Drea - Talking Spindle Cove on Reading Smut
Alys - The Artful Dodger TV series
Kevin - Valentine’s Day romance, courtesy of Avengers: Endgame

ITIDIC

Bad Bunny Sets First Lead Movie Role in ‘Porto Rico’ With Norton, Bardem
Remembering a Trio of of Hollywood Greats We Lost this Week
(Tom Noonan • Frederick Wiseman • Robert Duvall)
- Alonso recommends The Store as a Wiseman entry point.
- Tom Noonan’s The Wife is an adaptation of his play, Wifey.

Staff Picks
Drea - Emily
Alonso - A Useful Ghost
Alys - Dangerous Beauty
Kevin - Sliding Doors

Alys Murray’s new book is A Little Buzzed

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 #441: 'Pillion' with Nayland Blake Feb 13, 2026

Show notes

Have you heard about the new A24 movie from writer/director Harry Lighton that’s almost a romantic comedy about gay BDSM biker culture? That’s PILLION, starring Alexander Skarsgaard and Harry Melling, and we’re thrilled to have our friend Nayland Blake (an influential artist and teacher who’s an authority on queer kink, riding with us!

What’s Good?
Alonso - Trans Girl Scouts you can buy cookies from
Drea - The Milan-Cortina Olympics (also Coach Jackie)
Nayland - Midwest Magic Cleaning on YouTube
Kevin - Casey Abrams at Hotel Cafe (w/surprise Dave Koz); Bobby Brown at the bar

ITIDIC

Our ‘Sex-Positive Movie Night’ Picks in a Letterboxd List

Staff Picks
Alonso - Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die
Drea - Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie
Nayland - Bloodsisters
Kevin - Secretary

Nayland’s Books:
My Studio Is a Dungeon Is the Studio
No Wrong Holes: Thirty Years of Nayland Blake

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 #440: 'Send Help' with Kristen Lopez Feb 06, 2026

Show notes

Sam Raimi's darkly comedic thriller SEND HELP is a bright spot in the early 2026 movie calendar, and we've got writer and film critic Kristen Lopez with us to discuss it, as well as some of our favorite "Desert Island Movies" -- by which we mean movies set on a remote island, of course.

What's Good
Alonso - Super Bowl festivity & food
Drea - Rainbow Wool
Kristen - good movies in January
Kevin - Twilight Zone fundraiser reading

ITIDIC
IRON LUNG, YouTube Creator’s $3m Indie, Opens #2 at the Box Office
Lake Oswego Theater Loses Rights to Screen ‘Melania’ After Marquee Jokes
MST3K and Rifftrax Plan Crossover

Check out our "Desert Island Movies" List on Letterboxd

Staff Picks
Drea - The Housemaid
Alonso - Office Killer
Kristen - Pillion
Kevin - The Ruins

Read all about Kristen Lopez at her site or on The Film Maven

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 #439: 'The Testament of Ann Lee' with Emily St. James Jan 30, 2026

Show notes

We’re throwing our whole bodies into this discussion of Mona Fastvold’s epic historical musical biopic THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE. But it’s an audio medium, so you’ll have to take our word for it. We’re thrilled to have Emily St. James back with us!

What’s Good
Alonso - Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man
Drea - The power of “DROWSING” (in Scrabble)
Emily - Rewatching 28 Years Later
Kevin - Love Thy Neighbor: A Charity Live Reading of The Twilight Zone (Live at Dynasty Typewriter and Livestreamed, 1/31/26)

ITIDIC

Unusual Musicals List on Letterboxd

Staff Picks
Drea - A Poet
Alonso - The Moment
Kevin - Martha Marcy May Marlene

Follow Emily St. James on Bluesky or Instagram @emilystjams

Subscribe to Episodes

Listen to Podcast Like It’s…

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