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.
Chariots of Desire
Now Playing Podcast closes out the Species retrospective with The Awakening, a made-for-Sci-Fi Channel entry that trades franchise continuity for a new setting, new characters, and the same familiar formula. Set in Mexico, this fourth installment brings in Chariots of Fire’s Ben Cross and Star Trek: Enterprise’s Dominic Keating but can they add class to this low-budget fourquel? Join Now Playing Podcast’s hosts as they dissect the final chapter in a franchise that refuses to die quietly.
College hook-up culture meets the world’s worst grad school project.
Natasha Henstridge cashed a big check for a tiny role in Species III, a bargain-bin sequel that trades theaters for dorm rooms and solid science for sci-fi nonsense. Sil’s alien legacy lives on through her daughter, but with less money to burn, things get even dumber. There’s still plenty of aliens, skin, and bad choices to go around. Join Now Playing Podcast as we dissect how this straight-to-Sci-Fi Channel sequel keeps the Species name twitching.
Do you think you know what they did last summer? Think again!
Our 2025 Summer/Fall Donation Drive kicks off today with our review of I Know What You Did Last Summer, the 1997 slasher that made hook hands cool again. But before the gore, there was... guilt? In this bonus episode, Arnie digs into the 1973 young-adult novel by Lois Duncan. But slasher fans be warned: there's no fisherman, no slickers, and definitely no body count. Just a group of teens, a hit-and-run, and a slow-burning mystery that’s more Nancy Drew than Ghostface. Find out what changed, what got lost in translation, and why Duncan was not thrilled with the adaptation, in this bonus book review podcast.
Houston, we have a baby mama problem.
What happens when a space mission goes wrong, and the astronauts bring back more than just Mars rocks? You get Species II, a bigger, bolder, and weirder follow-up that doubles down on the sleaze, the sci-fi, and the mutant mating. Today, our hosts dive into this sequel, pondering the true mystery: why should Peter Boyle and James Cromwell ever be in the same movie? Buckle up! Things are about to get even more sticky.
Came to mate, stayed to mutilate.
30 years ago, Species slithered onto screens with a deadly combo: sexy aliens, mad science, and a cast way too good for this movie. Today Now Playing Podcast kicks off a four-part retrospective of this cult-favorite creature feature franchise, asking the hard questions: Was Sil just misunderstood? Is Alfred Molina okay? And why does the government’s top plan always involve “wait and see what happens”? Strap in! We're mating and debating now!
Black Ops Swan
Lionsgate’s still milking the John Wick cow, even if Keanu's nowhere in sight. First, they gave us The Continental (because who hasn’t wanted a TV show about hotel management?), and now comes Ballerina, the big-screen spin-off where Ana de Armas pirouettes while wielding flamethrowers, claymores, knives, guns. Lots of guns. Does she have what Wick needs? Join Justin, Jason, and Arnie to find out if Ballerina is a graceful leap forward or just another franchise misstep in ballet flats.
Cobra Why
The Karate Kid franchise has had nothing but victories lately. The 2010 remake was a box-office success, and fans flocked to YouTube and Netflix for Cobra Kai. Now, Sony wants to high-kick this franchise back into theaters and combine the universes, having both Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan as teachers to young Li Fong (Ben Wang). But with those senseis relegated to glorified cameos, and the karate coming late into the film, will audiences be disappointed in this film that focuses as much on boxing as martial arts? And can it live up to the nostalgic joy of Cobra Kai? Join Arnie, Jason, and Brock now to find out!
Kids, the story of how I met your mother includes a drifter with no phone and a body count
Now Playing Podcast has a bonus Friday episode, free for all listeners! This time, the hosts take aim at Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, the 2016 Tom Cruise action sequel. Does the second Reacher film live up to the first, or should it have followed its own advice and stayed away? Find out in this all-new review, available now!
He's an expert at finding a parking spot in Pittsburgh. Which is no easy feat, let me tell you!
In this week’s new podcast, we’re taking aim at Jack Reacher. Tom Cruise stars as the mysterious drifter and former military investigator in this gritty action thriller. It also marks the first time Cruise teamed up with director Christopher McQuarrie, a partnership that would lead to several Impossible films to come. Does this adaptation of Lee Child’s popular novel One Shot hit the mark? Listen now as our hosts break down the action, the performances, and whether Jack Reacher stands tall or falls short.
Blood is thicker than water, but both make a mess when you splatter.
It’s been an entire generation since the last Final Destination crushed the box office in 2011. Now Death is back and stalking an entire family tree. Grandma survived a toppling tower in the ‘60s and now Death wants her, and her heirs. Can Tony Todd, in his final performance, help break the Bloodlines’ curse? Log on and join us now to find out!
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
