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.
Jigsaw John Kramer is dying of a brain tumor, and it’s up to Dr. Lynn Denlon to keep him alive while they watch Jigsaw’s latest victim Jeff go through a series of tests. Why would Lynn help Jigsaw? Well if Jigsaw’s heart stops the bomb strapped to Lynn’s head will explode. It’s the most intricate Saw movie yet, and we review it on Now Playing!
{Saw Series}
Jigsaw's brain is exposed in a room THAT dirty? Even if it helps the tumor, the infection will be terrible!
Now Playing Podcast continues its descent into Jigsaw’s world with Saw III. John Kramer, played by Tobin Bell, is dying from a brain tumor, but that doesn’t mean the games stop. This time, Dr. Lynn Denlon (Crash's Bahar Soomekh) is forced to keep him alive while another victim, Jeff (Braveheart's Angus Macfadyen), endures a brutal series of tests designed to confront his grief and thirst for revenge. Why would Lynn cooperate with a serial mastermind? Because if Jigsaw’s heart stops, the device strapped to her head detonates. Stakes escalate, traps grow more elaborate, and the mythology deepens as the franchise pushes its interconnected storytelling further than ever. Does Saw III raise the series to a new level of psychological complexity, or does it collapse under the weight of its own intricacy?
You throw me the novel, I'll throw you the whip!
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.
Indiana Jones is back! With the revival of the Indiana Jones franchise in 2008, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the original novelized adventures of Indy continue with Indiana Jones and the Army of the Dead. Taking place between the 3rd and 4th Indiana Jones movies, we get to see our hero back in action. But as Crystal Skull did not appease many fans of the franchise, will the book fare better? Choose wisely...listen to our review!
With the surprise success of the original Saw, a sequel was inevitable. However who would have guessed it would come out only one year later, or that they would continue being released one-per-year for so long? In this episode, the hosts of Now Playing learn more about “Jigsaw” John Kramer and the vengeance he exacts upon a New Kid on the Block.
{Saw Series}
Wouldn't you try to find a mirror before slicing off a piece of your own neck?
Now Playing Podcast continues its dive into Jigsaw’s world with Saw II, the sequel that expands the game from one grimy bathroom to an entire house full of traps. This time, Detective Matthews (Dreamcatcher's Donnie Wahlberg) finds himself pulled into Jigsaw’s latest test, while a group of strangers scramble to survive a nerve gas–filled nightmare. With Tobin Bell (Rudy) returning as the calm, calculating mastermind and the mythology growing more intricate, Saw II aims to prove the original wasn’t a one-off shocker. Does this sequel smartly escalate the concept and deepen the puzzle, or does it trade tension for bigger, bloodier set pieces? The hosts examine the twists, the traps, and whether this second round ups the stakes or simply repeats the game.
When Saw came out in 2004 no one expected it to rapidly become the premiere horror franchise of the 21st century, but since then Saw has laid claim to the Halloween holiday, with each year seeing the release of a new installment in this horror series. It all started with Carey Elwes and Leigh Wannell waking up in a dirty bathroom, chained at the leg, and one is told to kill the other. With Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Michael Emerson, and Shawnee Smith rounding out the cast, does this movie deserve to be the modern day epitome of the horror film? Listen to Now Playing to find out!
{Saw Series}
Somehow, I don't see the Betty Ford clinic adopting Jigsaw's methods for "curing" drug addicts.
When Saw hit theaters in 2004, few predicted it would ignite one of the defining horror franchises of the 21st century. Yet within a few short years, Saw had staked its claim on Halloween, launching an annual tradition of increasingly elaborate traps and moral games. It all begins with Cary Elwes and Leigh Whannell waking up chained in a filthy bathroom, given a simple but impossible choice: one must kill the other to survive. With Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Michael Emerson, and Shawnee Smith rounding out the cast, the film blends low-budget ingenuity with psychological cruelty. Does Saw earn its reputation as the modern standard-bearer for horror, or was its success more about shock than substance? Our hosts dissect the twists, the traps, and whether this first game still cuts as deep now, as they cut into Now Playing Podcast's Saw retrospective series!
With the release of the latest movie in the Halloween franchise, Rob Zombie’s Halloween II, the hosts of Now Playing look into Michael Myers’ family scrapbook, watching and reviewing all ten Halloween movies. Knights in White Satin, Sherri Moon Zombie in a white dress, and a white horse all populate Rob Zombie’s stylistic but thematically confused sequel to his 2007 remake of Halloween. If, as Loomis says, ‘Bad taste is the petrol that fuels the American dream’ then this movie is a dream come true. Listen to the hosts of Now Playing as we conclude our Halloween retrospective series and find out if a sequel of a remake really can hold a candle to the original.
{Halloween Series}
{Rob Zombie Series}
White horses could drag me away...
White horses. "Knights in White Satin." Sherri Moon Zombie drifting through dream imagery. Halloween II is Rob Zombie at his most stylized and divisive, a sequel to his 2007 remake that doubles down on brutality, trauma, and surreal symbolism. Abandoning much of the structure of Halloween, this follow-up pushes deeper into psychological horror, fractured identities, and a Loomis who may be as monstrous as the killer he chases. If, as Loomis declares, "Bad taste is the petrol that fuels the American dream," then this movie runs on premium. As Now Playing Podcast concludes its Halloween retrospective series, the hosts examine whether this sequel to a remake can justify its existence or if it proves some legends should remain untouched.
If there are no doors, how do you get in?
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.
It's a house with no right angles, walls meeting floors in curves, and it may just be haunted. That's the real estate listing in Joe Screiber's latest horror novel, No Doors No Windows. Arnie will tell you if this book will have you clawing the walls in fear.
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
