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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.
What are you listening to, butthead?
Now Playing Podcast fires up the DeLorean for a full Back to the Future retrospective. Brock, Stuart, and Arnie revisit all three films in the time-travel trilogy that turned a flux capacitor into a household term and made 1.21 gigawatts part of the cultural vocabulary.
The journey begins with Back to the Future, starring Michael J. Fox (Teen Wolf) and Christopher Lloyd (Clue). Blending sci-fi, comedy, and heart, the original film became an instant classic and a defining movie of the 1980s. But decades later, does it still feel electric, or has familiarity dulled its spark? The hosts examine the performances, the script, and whether Marty and Doc remain timeless icons or relics of a different era.
Now Playing is taking a trip Back to the Future! Join us as Brock, Stuart and Arnie take a look back and discuss all three films in this beloved time-travelling comedy adventure series. We start our retrospective series with the modern-day classic Back to the Future. Has the original movie stood the test of time, or have Marty and Doc outstayed their welcome in pop culture history? Listen in and find out!
{Back to the Future Series}
I thought King was retiring years ago....
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.
Stephen King's latest work, Under the Dome, is his third-longest novel to date, bested in page count only by his classic works The Stand and It. Does this new novel, about a small Maine town cut off from the rest of the world by an unseen force, meet the standards of those books? Listen to find out in this totally spoiler-free review!
(Note: There is a spoiler-ish conversation AFTER the review regarding one of the book's larger plot twists, but you will have plenty of warning so you can listen to the review and still remain totally spoiler-free.)
2 years after his last theatrical release, “King of the world” James Cameron is back and once again astounding audiences with bleeding edge special effects in his new epic Avatar, boasting some of the best 3-D filmmaking ever. Does the movie live up to the hype? Is the story worthy of the technology? Arnie, Marjorie, and Stuart critique this film, so listen to find out!
{Avatar Series}
How can the graphics have more dimensions than the characters?
Two years after his last theatrical release, "King of the World" James Cameron returns with Avatar, a sci-fi epic promising to redefine blockbuster filmmaking. Shot with groundbreaking performance capture and touted as a revolution in digital 3-D, the film drops audiences onto the lush alien world of Pandora for a story of conflict, colonization, and transformation. With massive hype, sky-high expectations, and visuals unlike anything currently playing in theaters, Avatar arrives as a full-scale cinematic event. But does the story rise to meet the technological leap, or is it spectacle in search of substance? Arnie, Marjorie, and Stuart step into the world of the Na’vi to decide whether Cameron has once again changed the game, or simply dazzled us with shiny new tools.
Jigsaw’s work is almost complete, but from beyond the grave he must attack some of the nation’s biggest problems: predatory mortgage lenders and insurance adjusters. Republicans and Democrats agree that Jigsaw’s “public option” is a little too extreme, but do viewers? Listen to find out.
{Saw Series}
A steam cage maze? Remember the good old days when it was just two guys, a crap-filled toilet, and a gun?
Now Playing Podcast completes our Saw retrospective series (for now...) with Saw VI. This sequel takes Jigsaw’s moral crusade in a surprisingly topical direction. Though John Kramer is dead, his final plans target a new set of "players," this time zeroing in on the cold calculus of insurance executives and corporate decision-making. With traps designed to force those who profit from denying coverage to confront the human cost of their policies, Saw VI leans harder into social commentary than previous entries. Some may see Jigsaw’s warped sense of justice as timely, others as heavy-handed. Does this entry sharpen the series’ themes, or does it stretch the premise too far? The hosts examine whether this latest game hits its mark or pushes the concept past its breaking point.
There is a new Jigsaw, and worse he’s being hailed as a hero by the police of Generic City. But FBI Agent Strahm is hot on his trail. Will Strahm succeed where Danny Glover failed? Meanwhile, the team building experience from hell for a group of people involved in urban development. Listen to find out what it all means on the latest episode of our Saw movie retrospective series!
{Saw Series}
Thank GOD he had a ballpoint pen handy!
Now Playing Podcast continues the game with Saw V, a chapter that shifts focus from elaborate set pieces to the growing legacy of Jigsaw’s work. With John Kramer gone, the spotlight turns to those carrying out his philosophy, and whether they truly understand the rules he claimed to live by. As a new group of victims faces traps that demand cooperation rather than selfish survival, the film digs deeper into the idea that the real test may not be physical endurance, but moral choice. Meanwhile, the investigation tightens around Jigsaw’s inner circle. Does Saw V meaningfully expand the mythology, or does the series start to feel like it’s running on borrowed time?
At the end of Saw 3 Jigsaw was killed, so why is Donnie Whalburg the New Kid on the Ice Block with a noose around his neck, and will Officer Rigg learn Jigsaw’s lesson in time to save him? More importantly, is it worth the viewer’s time to see a Saw film without John Kramer as the killer? Listen to find out!
{Saw Series}
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