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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.
Death's not so bad. How do I know? I watched Elektra once.
Daredevil may have turned a profit, but when Ben Affleck’s box office draw began to fade, 20th Century Fox opted for a spin-off instead of a sequel. And despite dying at the end of Daredevil, Jennifer Garner returned to reprise her role as Marvel’s deadly assassin in Elektra. Clad in her iconic red outfit, Elektra is now a hired killer trying to reclaim her conscience when she’s tasked with eliminating a man and his young daughter—targets who may be tied to a powerful mystical force known as “The Treasure.” Standing in her way is ancient ninja clan The Hand, along with a gallery of supernatural killers. Is Elektra a treasure for comic book movie fans, or should this franchise have stayed buried with its heroine? Listen to Jakob, Stuart, and Arnie on Now Playing Podcast to find out.
Murdock in Love
After the success of X-Men, 20th Century Fox rushed another Marvel hero to the big screen: Daredevil. With Ben Affleck fresh off the success of Armageddon and The Sum of All Fears, the casting of the blind lawyer-turned-vigilante seemed poised to ride the same wave that had just propelled Spider-Man to box office glory. Backed by a strong supporting cast including Jennifer Garner as Elektra, Colin Farrell as Bullseye, Michael Clarke Duncan as Kingpin, and a pre-Iron Man Jon Favreau as Foggy Nelson, Daredevil smashed opening weekend records in 2003. Yet despite that early success, the film quickly faded from the court of public opinion. Was this Marvel adaptation unfairly judged, or did it deserve the bad reputation that followed? Join Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob on Now Playing Podcast as they revisit Daredevil and render their verdict.
Dracula returns to show all-new ways to suck!
Blade II slashed its way to over $150 million worldwide, so it was no surprise that the Daywalker returned just two years later for a third outing. What was surprising was that this time Blade didn’t come alone. Joining Wesley Snipes are Jessica Biel, Ryan Reynolds, Natasha Lyonne, and Parker Posey as a new generation of vampire hunters taking the fight to the undead. With writer David S. Goyer stepping into the director’s chair and Dracula himself entering the mix as Blade’s ultimate nemesis, Blade: Trinity aims to raise the stakes with bigger action, more quips, and a whole new team dynamic. But does this sequel give the franchise fresh blood, or does splitting the spotlight drain the life out of Blade’s final adventure? Listen to Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob on this Now Playing Podcast to find out.
Lock up your daughters, boys and girls. Now Playing Podcast returns!
Blade was an unexpected hit in 1998, so in 2002, Wesley Snipes returned as the Daywalker for the first sequel of his career. This time the vampire hunter faces a new threat: the Reapers, a vicious breed of super-vampires that force Blade into an uneasy alliance with the very bloodsuckers he’s sworn to destroy. Behind the camera is then–up-and-coming director Guillermo del Toro (Mimic), bringing his love of monsters, gothic visuals, and brutal action to the franchise, with David S. Goyer returning to write the script. Does Blade II sharpen the series with bigger action and nastier creatures, or does the sequel lose its bite? Listen to Stuart, Arnie, and Jakob’s review on Now Playing Podcast to find out.
I guess if you're immortal, cholesterol doesn't matter?
By 1998, the only Marvel Comics character to get a wide theatrical release was Howard the Duck. But that changed when Dark Knight writer David S. Goyer brought Marvel’s vampire hunter to the big screen in Blade, with Wesley Snipes donning the black leather to wage war on the undead. Facing off against Stephen Dorff’s ambitious bloodsucker Deacon Frost, Blade mixed martial arts, techno soundtracks, and vampire mythology into something unlike the comic book movies that came before it.
Arriving just after the misfire of Batman & Robin, Blade helped restore credibility to comic adaptations and quietly laid the groundwork for the Marvel movie boom that followed. But does this pre-Matrix blend of CGI, blood-soaked action, and late-’90s style still hold up today? Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob sharpen the stakes and dive into the film’s place in comic book movie history on Now Playing Podcast.
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Dracula, Lestat, Angel, Nosferatu, Spike...Jerry??? While Hollywood continues to mine all vampire properties to build on the current fang mania, the 1985 cult film Fright Night was not one with the name recognition that made it an obvious choice for a remake. But with Buffy the Vampire Slayer writer Marti Noxon handling the script and an impressive cast including Colin Farrell, Anton Yelchin, and David Tennant, this unlikely revival just might have the bite to make vampires scary again. But does this modern Fright Night honor the spirit of the 1985 original, or is it just another victim of Hollywood’s remake machine? Listen to Arnie, Stuart, and Brock on Now Playing Podcast to find out.
The eyes have it!
Now Playing Podcast concludes its Final Destination retrospective with the fifth and newest installment in the franchise. When Sam and his coworkers narrowly escape a catastrophic bridge collapse on their way to a company retreat, they think they’ve cheated fate. But as always in this series, Death’s design is far from finished. With Tony Todd returning as the mysterious Bludworth, there may finally be clues about how Death’s plan works… and whether it can ever truly be beaten. But after five films, are audiences still invested in the mythology, or are we all just here to watch the next elaborate chain reaction of grisly demises? Arnie, Jakob, and Brock break down the thrills, the twists, and the kills as Now Playing Podcast reviews Final Destination 5.
Bowling alley pizza gives us similar convulsions - and we're not even vampires!
Jerry Dandrige may have been turned to dust in Fright Night, but Charlie Brewster’s troubles are far from over. After months of therapy convincing him that vampires don’t exist, Charlie tries to move on with his life… until Regine, Jerry’s mysterious sister, arrives looking for revenge. With Charlie doubting his own memories and a new girlfriend caught in the crossfire, his only hope once again lies with washed-up TV horror host Peter Vincent: Vampire Killer. Featuring a new lineup of monsters and leaving fan-favorite Evil Ed behind, Fright Night Part 2 tries to continue the cult classic’s mix of horror and humor. But does this sequel capture the bite of the original? And perhaps the bigger question: can you even track down a copy to watch? Listen to Arnie, Stuart, and Brock on Now Playing Podcast to find out.
In 2009, horror stepped into another dimension: 3-D. While franchises everywhere scrambled to cash in on the gimmick, the Final Destination series returned with its fourth installment, bluntly titled The Final Destination.
With Final Destination 2 director David R. Ellis back behind the camera, the film opens with a catastrophic speedway crash that gives psychic Nick a vision of death’s latest design. Escaping the initial disaster is only the beginning, as Nick and his friends face a deadly chain reaction involving a car wash, a swimming pool, and even a chain-link fence. Do the over-the-top kills and 3-D spectacle breathe new life into the franchise, or is this where Death’s design finally runs out of ideas? Listen to Arnie, Stuart, and Brock’s review on Now Playing Podcast to find out!
Special Ed
Jerry and Billy seem like perfectly normal neighbors… if you ignore the apple cores in the yard and the occasional garbage bag that looks suspiciously human-shaped. While the rest of the neighborhood goes about their business, teenager Charlie Brewster realizes the truth: the suave guy next door, Jerry Dandrige, is a vampire.
In 1985, Fright Night revived the undead with a clever blend of horror and comedy. Chris Sarandon brought charm and menace as the stylish bloodsucker Jerry, while Roddy McDowall stole scenes as Peter Vincent, a washed-up TV vampire hunter suddenly facing the real thing. Is this cult classic still immortal, or is it a relic best left in the coffin of ’80s horror? Stuart, Arnie, and Brock sink their teeth into the original Fright Night to find out, kicking off Now Playing Podcast’s full retrospective of the series, leading up to the remake starring Colin Farrell.
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