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Three playful movie reviewers break down a variety of film franchises by dedicating a podcast to every single sequel, reboot, and spin-off in a series. In-depth conversations cover production history, literary sources, gossip, merchandising, and personal opinion with humor and critical insight. No cinematic universe is too obscure or sacred! Over 1,200 reviews at http://nowplayingpodcast.com
Copyright: © Venganza Media, Inc.
Limp Wick
John Wick may be dead…but the franchise is very much alive. With spin-off films like Ballerina, Caine, and an anime Wick prequel on the way and John Wick 5 already in the works, the high-octane universe of assassins, coins, and Continental rules isn't slowing down anytime soon. But before we return to the big screen, we’re flashing back to the 1970s for the Peacock mini-series The Continental: From the World of John Wick. Can a TV budget capture the brutal elegance and balletic gun-fu that made the films iconic? And do fans really want the origin story of Winston Scott — played here by Colin Woodell, stepping into Ian McShane’s stylish shoes? Justin, Jason, and Arnie check in for a full review, exploring every bullet, betrayal, and bourbon-soaked twist. Grab your gold coins and hit play — this is one check-in you don’t want to miss!
Houston, we have a podcast!
Houston, Stuart has a problem… with our co-host in the ICU, Arnie, Brock, and Justin have come together to discuss a film that’s all about survival, perseverance, and the triumph of the human spirit: Apollo 13. As the acclaimed Ron Howard/Tom Hanks collaboration marks its 30th anniversary, the hosts revisit this beloved biopic to see if it still soars. Strap in and listen now!
From cotton fields to coffin lids
Sinners isn’t just a vampire movie—it’s a Southern Gothic opera about bloodlines, betrayal, and the price of your soul. On this episode, Justin, Marjorie, and Arnie dive into Ryan Coogler’s (Black Panther) first original feature, where Michael B. Jordan (Creed) plays war-torn twins battling both the past and the undead in 1930s Mississippi. Hailee Steinfeld (Hawkeye) plays Mary, Stack’s former flame-turned-vampire femme fatale, while Jayme Lawson's (The Batman) haunting voice lingers long after the music fades. From historical horror to emotional gut-punches, we explore whether Sinners earns its place among Coogler’s best—and whether immortality is a curse or a second chance.
How To Overfeed Your Dragon
Chris Pine (Star Trek) and Michelle Rodriguez (Avatar) learn there’s no Honor Among Thieves when accomplice Hugh Grant (Heretic) sends them to prison so he can lay sole claim on the spoils of a heist. Does the wise-cracking bard have the charisma points to pull off a revenge campaign that rescues daughter Chloe Coleman (My Spy) using insecure wizard Justice Smith (Detective Pikachu), shape-shifting druid Sophia Lillis (It), and saintly dandy Rege-Jean Page (Bridgerton)? Listen Now to find out if Dungeons & Dragons is sick of failure in 2023.
50 Shades of Grayson Azriel
The third Dungeons & Dragons movie is steeped in sin as it partners a quartet of bloodthirsty bandits with a celibate knight on a quest to rescue his father from a kinky underworld. Is returning director Gerry Lively faithful to the letter of the 3rd edition game supplement The Book of Vile Darkness, which first let players fall under the spell of a black magic text printed in blood, skin, and bone? And why did SyFy Channel pass on this 2012 campaign, limiting its official release to the UK? Justin, Stuart, and Arnie are ready to suck fingers to find out how bad it gets.
Cocky Blockers
Jack Black attempts to build a cinematic universe out of chickens cooked in lava, rampaging pigs and zombies, and other doodads mined from the biggest video game of all time. But is it wise to spend $150 million on A Minecraft Movie that just looks like pixelated 8-bit graphics? And is any of the Overland’s wild architecture as creative as the fringed leather wardrobe that Jason Mamoa sports in the real world? Listen Now to find out if director Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) can fill the plot holes and deliver a winning Now Playing Arcade entry.
A saga for the ages… or at least a podcast appropriate for April Fool’s Day
British heavy Bruce Payne (Passenger 57) is the only cast member willing to return for a Dungeons & Dragons sequel now that the 2005 campaign is being launched on SyFy Channel. Can new director Gerry Lively (Darkness Falls) do a better job of advancing the fantasy role-playing game into a credible cinematic universe by more closely studying the classic monster manuals and rule books of TSR? Find out if hosts Justin, Stuart, and Arnie have much clemency for yet another low-budget quest to enchant today’s tabletop players. Listen Now!
The Desolation of Snails
Jeremy Irons sees a reversal of fortune in his acting career as he conjures an army of fire-breathing beasts to fight empress Thora Birch (American Beauty) in a theatrical Dungeon And Dragons campaign from 2000. Can wise-cracking thieves Justin Whalin (Lois & Clark) and Marlon Wayans (White Chicks) bring together a mage, a dwarf, and an elf to acquire the magic gem that will put an end to all the shoddy CGI work swirling in the sky? Listen now to learn if Arnie, Stuart, and Justin have the constitution points to endure another board game movie.
That Thing You Pardieu
College kid Tom Hanks plays RPG Mazes And Monsters and quickly descends into madness and murder in this notorious 1982 TV movie. Did Maze Controller Chris Makepeace (Meatballs) make the fantasy too real by swapping out dice bags and painted figurines for a live-action campaign inside a dangerous cave? Or did the future Oscar winner simply get too wrapped up in a delusional Method Acting quest to become his holy man character, forsaking his studies and sex with girlfriend Wendy Crewson (The Santa Clause)? Join us in the Great Hall to find out!
Goodbye Friend
Horror specialist Mike Flanagan (Netflix’s Haunting of Hill House) picks up another Ouija board to tell the 2016 prequel story Origin of Evil. Can sham medium Elizabeth Reaser (Twilight) finally give up the ghost and let her 9-year-old daughter take over the seance business after the girl uses the mass market spirit board to connect with ghoul Doug Jones (Shape of Water)? Or is priest Henry Thomas (E.T.) right to phone an exorcist, and stop more bodies from winding up in the basement walls? Get the skinny on another board game film when you Listen Now!
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