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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.
Max Headroom, Ace Ventura, and Freddy Krueger all rolled into one!
Before Hugh Jackman’s claws, before billion-dollar box office, there was… Generation X. In 1996, Fox aired a made-for-TV movie intended as a backdoor pilot for an X-Men series that never materialized. Based on the comic spin-off, the film follows a new class of teenage mutants at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, this time led by Emma Frost and Banshee. With Matt Frewer (Max Headroom) chewing the scenery as dream-invading villain Russell Tresh, this oddball entry feels worlds away from the sleek superhero cinema that would arrive just a few years later. Is this forgotten TV experiment a fascinating relic for hardcore X-fans, or a mutant misfire best left buried in the ’90s? Listen and find out.
We don't need friends, we need you to download this podcast!
Eleven years after the "final" chapter, Ghostface picked up the phone again.
Scream 4 brings Sidney Prescott back to Woodsboro for the franchise's first true revival, blending legacy characters with a new generation raised on remakes, reboots, and online fame. Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette return, joined by a cast of younger would-be survivors who think they know the rules better than anyone. This time, the satire targets horror remakes, internet celebrity, and a culture obsessed with going viral. Arnie, Stuart, and Marjorie break down the fourth entry to see whether this comeback revitalized the series or proved some franchises should stop at three.
This time the review is personal!
Books & Nachos is now part of Now Playing Podcast.
Before our book reviews were branded as Now Playing Podcast Book Reviews, they were released under a separate show called Books & Nachos. That podcast focused on book discussions, most of which tied directly into films we were covering on Now Playing. We’ve now merged those episodes into the main Now Playing Podcast feed for easier access and a complete archive. But these older episodes still have the original Books & Nachos intro and credits on those older recordings.
Novelizations usually deepen a movie’s story. But Jaws: The Revenge is not exactly working from ideal source material. As part of Now Playing Podcast’s Jaws retrospective, Stuart takes a look at Hank Searls’ novelization of the most infamous entry in the franchise. Tasked with turning a screenplay about a vengeance-driven shark into coherent prose, Searls had plenty of narrative gaps to fill. Does the book add logic, character motivation, or even suspense that the film lacked? Join Stuart as he compares page to screen and decides whether this literary take sinks or swims.
At least this movie doesn't have John Waters in it
When Scream 3 hit theaters in 2000, it was billed as the final chapter. Kevin Williamson had always talked about a trilogy, and this looked like the end of the Ghostface saga. This time, the carnage moves to Hollywood, where actors on the set of the fictional film Stab 3 start dropping. Sidney Prescott is in hiding, Gale and Dewey are back in the chaos, and even Randy shows up one last time via videotape to lay down the "rules" of a trilogy. Bigger setting. Bigger cast. Bigger body count. But does the franchise’s self-aware horror formula still work at three films in, or does the Hollywood backdrop push it into parody? Join Arnie, Marjorie, and Stuart as they close out the original trilogy and set the stage for the next chapter.
Before it was a novella, it was a card game.
Books & Nachos is now part of Now Playing Podcast. Before our book reviews were branded as Now Playing Podcast Book Reviews, they were released under a separate show called Books & Nachos. That podcast focused on book discussions, most of which tied directly into films we were covering on Now Playing Podcast. We’ve now merged those episodes into the main Now Playing Podcast feed for easier access and a complete archive. But these older episodes still have the original Books & Nachos intro and credits on those older recordings.
In 2004, Decipher resurrected the gameplay of the ended Star Wars Trading Card Game and launched WARS, building a brand-new sci-fi universe with creative input from names like Michael Stackpole and John Howe. Gamers embraced it, but the line was short-lived, ending in 2005 before the world could fully unfold. Now that story continues in prose with Healers and Hunters by Nathan P. Butler, the first novella set in the WARS universe. For those who never cracked a single booster pack, can this book stand on its own? Does it reward longtime fans while welcoming newcomers, or is it too tied to a game most readers have never played? Join Arnie as he evaluates whether this expansion of the universe is worth your time.
Tori Spelling will not be playing Marjorie in the Now Playing Podcast movie adaptation
Ghostface is back, and this time the body count is rising at Windsor College. Following the smash success of the original, Scream 2 doubles down on meta commentary, skewering horror sequels while trying to outdo its predecessor. Neve Campbell returns as Sidney Prescott, joined by Courteney Cox, David Arquette, and a fresh crop of college classmates who quickly learn that surviving one massacre doesn’t mean you’re safe from the next.
In the script, Kevin Williamson famously claims that "by definition alone, sequels are inferior films." Does Scream 2 prove him wrong with sharper kills and bigger twists, or does it fall into the very traps it mocks? Join Arnie, Stuart, and Marjorie as they revisit the 1997 follow-up to see if this franchise still has something to say or if the rules start to unravel the second time around.
Who knew Jiffy Pop could add so much tension to a scene?
With Scream 4 hitting theaters, it’s time for Now Playing Podcast to follow the rules and kick off a full retrospective of the Scream series, one of the defining horror franchises of the last two decades. It started in 1996, when Ghostface began stalking a new generation of teens, including Neve Campbell, Jamie Kennedy, Rose McGowan, and Drew Barrymore, under the direction of horror veteran Wes Craven. Clever, self-aware, and bloody as hell, Scream rewrote the slasher playbook, influencing 20 years of horror. But nearly 15 years later, does it still cut deep, or has the meta magic faded? Join Arnie, Stuart, and Marjorie to find out.
Just when you thought it was safe to read on the beach!
Books & Nachos is now part of Now Playing Podcast. Before our book reviews were branded as Now Playing Podcast Book Reviews, they were released under a separate show called Books & Nachos. That podcast focused on book discussions, most of which tied directly into films we were covering on Now Playing Podcast. We’ve now merged those episodes into the main Now Playing Podcast feed for easier access and a complete archive. But these older episodes still have the original Books & Nachos intro and credits on those older recordings.
You’ve seen the shark. But have you read the book that started it all? Before Spielberg made audiences afraid of the water, Benchley made readers afraid to turn the page. Now, in partnership with Now Playing Podcast’s Jaws retrospective, Stuart returns to dive into Peter Benchley’s bestselling novel. The core story may be familiar, but the tone, characters, and motivations are far darker and more complicated than the film you know. Political corruption, marital drama, and a very different Amity Island lurk beneath the surface. Join Stuart as he explores the novel that launched the summer blockbuster.
No, you won't find Now Playing Podcast on MySpace...it's not 2007.
He has no powers, no girlfriend, no cool outfit, but Dave Lizewski can still Kick-Ass in a film from the future X-Men: First Class director Matthew Vaughn. With its balance of humor and violence, and a foul-mouthed, violent 11-year-old Hit-Girl courting controversy, the film failed to catch on with mainstream audiences. But is this an underrated Kick-Ass film, or are we three for three with our Marvel Misfits retrospective series? Listen to the final episode in this first part of our Marvel Comic Book Movie Retrospective to find out!
He who knows good movies burns at a screening of Man-Thing!
Rising from the swamps comes a humanoid creature made of pure plant matter - Marvel's Man-Thing! A cult comic book character, Man-Thing was promoted to Marvel Movie Star in 2005 to capitalize on the popularity of his superhero peers, X-Men and Spider-Man. Premiering on the Sci-Fi channel, this film remains fairly unknown. Is it a treasure found underneath the murkiness of the swamps, or a fetid swamp plant that should be left to decompose? Listen to Stuart, Arnie, and Jakob to find out!
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