Stay ConnectedBecome a Paid Subscriber and get bonus podcasts: https://anchor.fm/nowplayingpodcast/subscribe
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.
Tonight Transformers: Dark of the Moon opens in theaters, several days earlier than originally scheduled, but you can prepare for your Transformers experience by joining Arnie, Stuart, and Jerry as they review the second installment in the Bayformers series -- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. There's more Autobots, more Decepticons, more cute little puppies, and G1 story staples like the Matrix of Leadership and the death of Optimus Prime, but do these callbacks make for a satisfying movie experience? Listen to find out!
{Transformers Series}
Two guys, a girl, and a magic ring
Because you demanded it.
Arnie, Jakob, and Stuart take a break from Marvel to shine a green light on DC’s Green Lantern. Starring Ryan Reynolds (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) as Hal Jordan, alongside Blake Lively (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants), Peter Sarsgaard Garden State), Mark Strong (Kick-Ass), and Angela Bassett (How Stella Got Her Groove Back), Green Lantern is Warner Bros.’ attempt to launch its own cosmic superhero franchise to rival Marvel's Cinematic Universe Does it soar into the upper atmosphere of superhero cinema, or crash back to Earth under the weight of its own ambition? Join the Now Playing Podcast crew as they revisit Reynold's second attempt to be a superhero and decide whether this ring had any real power behind it.
Now Playing has a bonus episode for you: BECAUSE YOU DEMANDED IT, Arnie, Jakob, and Stuart take a break from their Marvel Comics based movie reviews to look at a DC Comics property--Green Lantern! Starring Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, and Mark Strong, this is DC's attempt to emulate Marvel's Iron Man success with the B-level Emerald Knight. Does it reach Iron Man heights? Is Angela Bassett the new Samuel L Jackson? Listen to find out!
{Green Lantern Series}
{DC Comics Series}
{Comic Book Movie Series}
More oil was used on Megan Fox than all the automobiles in this film combined!
Continuing our Transformers retrospective, Arnie, Jerry, and Stuart shift gears into Michael Bay’s 2007 live-action debut, dubbed "Bayformers" by longtime fans. With Steven Spielberg producing and a massive effects budget bringing Autobots and Decepticons into the real world, the film aimed to turn a beloved ’80s cartoon into a modern blockbuster. But did Bay successfully reinvent the franchise for a new generation, or did the spectacle overwhelm the spark that made fans care in the first place? Join the Now Playing Podcast crew as they break down the action, the humor, and the metal-on-metal mayhem to see if this transformation holds up.
You're not fooling anyone, Hot Rod. The next screw that falls out will be you
For our first episode in the Transformers Retrospective Series, we roll back to 1986 and the animated big-screen debut of The Transformers: The Movie. Optimus Prime vs. Megatron, the rise of Hot Rod, a synth-heavy soundtrack, and a voice cast that includes Eric Idle (Monty Python and the Holy Grail), Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek), Judd Nelson (The Breakfast Club), and the legendary Orson Welles (Citizen Kane) in his final role. It had all the makings of a franchise-defining event, but it left children traumatized and flopped at the box office. Dare to be stupid with Arnie, Stuart, and Transformers mega-fan Jerry as they revisit the animated epic that reshaped Cybertron and ask whether this so-called bomb was actually more than meets the eye.
Now we gotta cut loose, with nukes!
Our X-Men retrospective ends where the X-Men began. X-Men: First Class rewinds the timeline to the 1960s, recasting Charles Xavier (now Wanted's James McAvoy) and Magneto (now Eden Lake's Michael Fassbender) and rebuilding the franchise from the ground up. Matthew Vaughn, coming off Kick-Ass, takes the director’s chair while Bryan Singer returns in a producing role, steering the series into prequel territory. Can this rebooted origin story stand alongside successful franchise relaunches like Star Trek and Batman Begins? Join Arnie, Jakob, and Stuart for this First Class finale of their journey through the X-Men saga.
After this podcast, we're afraid Stryker is going to try to have our mouths grafted shut
Hugh Jackman steps out on his own in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a prequel tracing Logan’s life from 19th-century Canada through wars, Weapon X experiments, and the events leading to his memory loss. While there's no Xavier's School, there's still a slew of fan-favorite mutants like Gambit (Taylor Kitsch), Sabretooth (Liev Schreiber), Blob (Kevin Durand), and a very different take on Deadpool. But does this deep dive into Logan’s past add meaningful layers to the character? Join Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob as they revisit Wolverine’s first solo outing and decide whether these origins sharpen the claws or dull the legend.
Multiple men discuss Multiple Man
With Bryan Singer graduating from Mutant High to direct Superman Returns, and much of the original creative team gone, Brett Ratner (Rush Hour) stepped in to close out the mutant trilogy with X-Men: The Last Stand. The long-foreshadowed conflict finally explodes when a "cure" for mutation is announced, splitting the mutant community and forcing Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellan) into open war. The film swings for epic, tackling the Dark Phoenix storyline while juggling an expanding ensemble. It’s also one of the most divisive entries in the franchise, with fans split over its choices and casualties. Join Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob as they revisit the trilogy’s conclusion and decide whether The Last Stand earns its place in the saga or buckles under its own ambition.
Bobby's brother was nominated for Worst Movie Sibling 2003
Three years after X-Men helped redefine superhero cinema, the mutants return with a bigger budget and new enemies. X2: X-Men United brings back Professor X (Patrick Stewart), Magneto (Ian McKellen), and the original cast, but does the focus on Wolverine's mysterious background overshadow the team? Join Arnie, Jakob, and Stuart as they break down Bryan Singer’s follow-up and decide whether X2 is the rare superhero sequel that improves on the original, or just a case of mutant overload.
The greatest trick Magneto ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist...
When you think of superhero movies, you probably don’t think of concentration camps, civil rights allegory, and moral philosophy. But in 2000, Bryan Singer’s X-Men changed the conversation. Bringing Wolverine, Cyclops, Professor X, Magneto, and Rogue to the big screen for the first time, the film grounded comic book spectacle in themes of prejudice and identity. Anchored by a cast that included past and future Oscar winners, it treated its source material with an unusual seriousness for the era. More than just launching the X-Men franchise, the film helped kick off the modern wave of Marvel adaptations that would soon dominate Hollywood.
Over a decade later, does it still feel like the beginning of something bold, or a stepping stone to bigger things? Join Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob as they revisit the movie that helped usher superheroes into the 21st century.
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
