Podcast · Film & TV

Now Playing - The Movie Review Podcast

by Venganza Media, Inc. · English · Film & TV

The hosts of Now Playing Podcast dive deep into every franchise from Bond, DC and Marvel to Mad Max , Andromeda Strain to Wolverine, breaking down each film with sharp insight, behind-the-scenes stories, and a lot of humor. If a movie has a sequel (or three), we’ve probably reviewed it wi

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 1 hr 28 min
Latest: 6 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

6 Oct 2026 · 1 hr 35 min

Godzilla (1998) Movie Review

Iguana Be Sedated Matthew Broderick needs another day off after Godzilla rises out of the Hudson to nest in New York City in a 1998 reboot of the iconic Japanese monster. But should this dweeby biologist criticize the asexual reproduction of a giant lizard laying eggs inside Madison Square Garden when he’s got even less romantic chemistry with aspiring reporter Maria Patillo? And can Hollywood hitmakers Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin coax our star to demolish Manhattan buildings with the same zeal as the UFOs from Independence Day? Listen and find out now!

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

E2012 · 2 Oct 2026 · 41 min

Intermission 8: Old Punks, Great Pumpkins, & Disco Testicles

Halloween has come to Now Playing! The hosts share their favorite spooky-season traditions, from month-long horror marathons and haunted houses to vintage TV specials, costumed pets, and gifts from the mysterious Mr. Bogeyman. Meanwhile, Arnie has accidentally planned an entire month around Hellraiser. Plus, concerts, Star Trek, fantasy football, and a patron brave enough to face our horror movie trivia!
E2011 · 30 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 26 min

Godzilla (1954) / Godzilla: King of the Monsters (1956)

Jurassic Landmark This podcast covers both the original 1954 Japanese Godzilla as well as the 1956 Americanized re-edit Godzilla: King of the Monsters Before all the throwdowns with Mothra, Ghidorah, and King Kong, radioactive dinosaur Godzilla stood tall as a symbol of nuclear annihilation in his 1954 debut. Can paleontologist Takashi Shimura (Seven Samurai) convince the people of Japan that the creature attacking their boats, trains, and radio towers is just as much a victim of H-bomb testing as they are? And do things get worse with the arrival of American journalist Raymond Burr (Perry…
E2009 · 22 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 34 min

Resident Evil (2026) Movie Review

First Person Shirker Austin Abrams (Whalefall) is tasked with delivering the cure to another Umbrella Corporation lab leak in the 2026 reboot of Resident Evil. But can the hapless courier reach the top floor of a Raccoon City hospital overrun with monsters using a vehicle unprepared for snowy mountain roads, receiving intermittent cell connection with a pregnant girlfriend, and having only handled guns in video games? And will writer-director Zach Cregger (Weapons) be torn limb from limb for discarding all the franchise lore to focus on pratfalls? F*ckin’ find out when you Listen Now!
E2007 · 15 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 57 min

Resident Evil (2022) TV Series Review

Is it evil that I’m glad Milla Jovovich is no longer a resident of this franchise? Umbrella Corporation wanted South Africa’s New Raccoon City to launch a pharmaceutical revolution in 2022, but the failed utopia ends up birthing a zombie apocalypse in Netflix’s episodic reboot of Resident Evil. Is the reason why twin sisters Ella Ballinska (Charlie’s Angels) and Adeline Rudolph (Mortal Kombat II) have no Joy in 2036 because their chemist father Lance Reddick (The Wire) screwed up an antidepressant 14 years before? And does it make Zero sense that the T-virus is now turning caterpillars and…
E2005 · 8 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 10 min

Iron Lung Movie Review

Crimson Tides YouTuber Mark Fischbach (aka Markiplier) adapts David Symanski’s 2022 submarine simulator Iron Lung into the surprise hit movie of 2026. What conspiracies will be uncovered when a convict gets welded inside a rickety submersible and dives into an ocean of blood on a distant moon? Will the x-rays taken of alien creatures, or transmissions downloaded and decoded from other vessels, be the key to saving a dying universe? And will Simon - or hosts Stuart, Arnie, and Justin - survive this deep plunge into the Now Playing Arcade? Find out Now!
E2003 · 2 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 8 min

Red Faction: Origins Movie Review

Get Your Ass Off Mars Robert Patrick (Terminator 2) thought he liberated the Red Planet from bossy Earthlings 25 years ago, but that was just the Origins of a conflict that rages on in this 2011 SyFy Channel video game adaptation. Can Red Faction trooper Brian J Smith (Stargate Universe) mobilize Blue Planet scientist Danielle Nicolet (TV’s The Flash), and local Marauders led by Kate Vernon (Battlestar Galactica), to ensure that the Earth Defense Force stays off Martian soil? Trust Terrans Arnie, Justin, and Stuart to tell the truth about this next Now Playing Arcade installment.
E2002 · 31 Aug 2026 · 37 min

Intermission #7: Avengers - Homework

The Now Playing crew checks in for another Intermission with a packed slate of movies, memories, and questionable homework assignments. Jason revisits Point Break on the big screen 35 years later. Brock goes from The American President to Kate & Leopold and an MCU rewatch, and Stuart reports back from Chicago’s new Obama Presidential Center. Plus Arnie and Justin unexpectedly find common ground in the comedy of The State, Wet Hot American Summer, and Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass. Then longtime listener Josh joins the show for Resident Evil trivia and turns the tables with a…
E1999 · 25 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 28 min

Insidious: Out of the Further Movie Review

Getting Long In The Tooth Slain cult leader Sam Spruell (TV’s Fargo) promises to lead Insidious demons like Lipstick Face and The Bride In Black Out Of The Further in this sixth installment of the enduring horror franchise. Will traumatized dental hygienist Amelia Eve (Haunting of Bly Manor) be the unwitting courier for evil forces conquering the material world? Or is stopping shotgun-wielding housewives and a trio of anesthesia-huffing old farts still what dead medium Lin Shaye will do best at age 82? Follow Arnie, Marjorie, and Stuart into the pillow fort to find out now!
E1997 · 18 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 9 min

Jack Ryan: Ghost War Movie Review

Unclear and Present Danger John Krasinski (A Quiet Place) walked away from four seasons playing Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan on an Amazon Prime series, only to return in the explosive 2026 reunion movie Ghost War. Can the former CIA analyst help his old boss Wendell Pierce (Hackers, The Wire) and friend Michael Kelly (House of Cards) fight a rogue black-ops unit making terrorist threats 20 years after brutally solving post-9/11 political realities? And is Jack too much of a private citizen to play cloak-and-dagger with MI-6 babe Sienna Miller (GI Joe: Rise of Cobra)? Step out of the darkness now!
E1995 · 12 Aug 2026 · 2 hr

Wonder Man TV Series Review

Asking questions about character motivation that Marvel never put to Echo Struggling actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Aquaman) hides his destructive ionic powers to land his dream role as Wonder Man in this 2026 Disney+ series. But can Iron Man 3's Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley) really expect to shed his Mandarin image if he’s gonna villainously turn his super-scene partner into the Department of Damage Control? And shouldn’t Hollywood be giving an Oscar to anyone who can permanently show Josh Gad the door? Listen Now to learn if showrunner Andrew Guest (Brooklyn 99) found the real man inside…
E1993 · 4 Aug 2026 · 2 hr 9 min

Spider-Man: Brand New Day Movie Review

Home Sick It’s a Brand New Day for Tom Holland now that everyone has magically forgotten Peter Parker, and Spider-Man is once again anonymously ridding New York City of criminals like Scorpion and The Hand. But is the workaholic web-slinger turning into something socially unacceptable by suppressing his feelings? And will his genetic mutation qualify him for Xavier’s School For Gifted Youngsters if he can’t go to MIT with MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon)? Find out if Punisher (Jon Bernthal) or Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) have any fatherly advice when you Listen Now!
E1992 · 2 Aug 2026 · 53 min

Intermission #6: To Infinity and... Nowhere

Arnie and Justin unveil StubBook, their independent movie-and-TV logging platform. Plus: mahjong mysteries, vintage novelizations, 3D-printing disasters, Marvel trivia with patron Corey, and a heated debate over whether Disney’s “Infinity Vision” is a meaningful theatrical standard or an empty marketing gimmick.
E1989 · 28 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 3 min

The Punisher: One Last Kill Movie Review

John Wick comes at you with a pencil; Frank Castle comes at you with a pen! That's the Punisher way! Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) worries that his life has no purpose after putting down the crime family that murdered his wife and two children in an ultra-violent 2026 Marvel Television Special. Could there be One Last Kill for Punisher to perform after sitcom mom Judith Light (Who's the Boss) sets a bounty that brings every criminal in Little Italy to the vigilante’s door? Hide your kids, lock up your dog, and take that donut and coffee to go, as you join Justin, Arnie, and Stuart for the…
E1987 · 22 Jul 2026 · 2 hr 38 min

The Odyssey Movie Review

Ill Will Hunting Matt Damon has trouble finding a way home after winning the Trojan War with a duplicitous offering to Athena (Zendaya) in Christopher Nolan’s epic re-telling of The Odyssey. Is there something more than the giant cyclops, spellcasting witch, Charlize Theron’s lotus flower diet, or the ghost of fallen soldier Elliot Page that prevents this Ithacan King from reclaiming his throne? And how pissed will son Tom Holland be if mom Anne Hathaway reads Twilight instead of Homer, and marries Robert Pattinson? Find Out Now!
E1985 · 14 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 5 min

Eyes of Wakanda Miniseries Review

Dora (Milaje) The Explorer Marvel Animation resurrects Black Panther for the 2025 Disney+ anthology series Eyes of Wakanda. Join Arnie, Stuart, and Justin as they follow an elite squadron of “War Dogs” over the centuries and see the sacrifices made to recover stolen artifacts from a pillaged Ethiopian city, a snowy Chinese temple, and even the Trojan War. Are there times when the isolationist African nation of Wakanda might benefit from burying the hatchet and sharing its advanced tech with the outside world? Listen Now to learn a history the colonizers never taught you!
E1984 · 13 Jul 2026 · 34 min

Did I Ever Tell You This? A Memoir by Sam Neill Book Review

The book Sam Neill wrote for himself... and shared with the rest of us. Sam Neill spent nearly five decades becoming one of cinema's most dependable actors, from Jurassic Park and The Hunt for Red October to Event Horizon, The Piano, and dozens of films in between. Following Neill's passing, Arnie looks back at the actor's 2023 memoir, Did I Ever Tell You This? Written during treatment for a life-threatening cancer diagnosis, the book becomes far more than another celebrity autobiography. Instead of Hollywood gossip or behind-the-scenes stories, Neill reflects on friendship, family, cars,…
E1982 · 7 Jul 2026 · 2 hr 15 min

Ironheart Miniseries Review

The Devil’s In The Deep Dish Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) returns from her Wakanda Forever semester abroad to learn she’s lost her Tony Stark grant money and is being kicked out of MIT in the 2025 Disney+ miniseries Ironheart. Is the young inventor so desperate to fund the overhaul of her robot suit that she’d partner with possessed Chicago hood Anthony Ramos (Hamilton)? And how much help will the superhero receive from a magic candy store, an A.I. program designed to look like her dead BFF, and pushover Alden Ehrenreich (Solo: A Star Wars Story)? Find Out Now!
E1980 · 3 Jul 2026 · 26 min

When Life Gives You Lululemons by Lauren Weisberger Book Review

Athleisure wear, Affairs, and Awful Life Lessons Arnie concludes his journey through Lauren Weisberger's Devil Wears Prada trilogy with When Life Gives You Lululemons. Shifting the focus to Emily Charlton and an all-new ensemble initially feels like a welcome break from the repetitive formula of the earlier novels. But does the fresh premise lead to a better story? Arnie examines the novel's suburban satire, gender politics, and increasingly questionable ideas about marriage, motherhood, and what makes a woman successful.
E1979 · 3 Jul 2026 · 37 min

Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns Book Review

One Million Readers Would Kill for a Better Sequel Over a decade before Disney made The Devil Wears Prada 2, original Devil author Lauren Weisberger wrote her own sequel. Arnie reviews Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns, a novel that reunites Andy, Emily, and Miranda... but delivers little revenge, little devil, and surprisingly little story. Was this forgotten sequel worth revisiting?
E1978 · 2 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 10 min

Intermission #5: Backrooms v Supergirl - The Summer Hollywood Didn't See Coming

This month on Now Playing Intermission, the hosts discuss community theater, symphony screenings of Star Wars, audiobooks, road trips, and what they've been watching. Plus, listener Michael from England joins the show for Tom Hanks trivia before the conversation turns to one of the biggest questions in Hollywood: why are original movies suddenly beating the biggest franchises at the box office?
E1977 · 30 Jun 2026 · 1 hr 55 min

Supergirl (2026) Movie Review

DC Universe Series Episode 2 Stupor Girl Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon) resists the call to do good like her cousin Clark (David Corenswet), instead spending the second DCU movie partying on red sun planets. Is she finally ready to put down the bottle and become Supergirl after villainous Krem (Mathias Schoenaerts) poisons her dog Krypto and orphans a swordmaker’s daughter (Eve Ridley)? And how much help is bounty hunter Lobo (Jason Momoa) to their vengeance quest? Find out if the director of I, Tonya and Cruella can handle another badass chick when you Listen Now.
E1973 · 24 Jun 2026 · 1 hr 41 min

Toy Story 5 Movie Review

Left To Her Own DevicesWoody (Tom Hanks) and Jessie (Joan Cusack) worry that screens have replaced childhood make-believe once 8-year-old Bonnie receives her first tablet in Toy Story 5. Can the cowgirl doll help her kid make friends the old-fashioned way after Lilly Pad (Greta Lily) connects her to mean girls online? And will deputized spaceman Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) keep the peace in the playroom once infinite upgrades of himself fly in from a spilled shipping container? Listen Now to learn if this Pixar sequel (or just Conan O’Brien) takes a dump on the beloved franchise.
E1639 · 16 Jun 2026 · 2 hr 32 min

Agatha All Along Miniseries Review

The Switches of Eastview Kathryn Hahn (Glass Onion) realizes she’s Agatha All Along after breaking the TV show spell put on her by Wanda Maximoff in a 2024 Disney+ miniseries. But can this prickly loner forge a coven with Broadway legend Patti LuPone and deadly Aubrey Plaza (White Lotus) that has the power to access a mythic, wish-granting Witches' Road? Or did her dream to reconnect with her dead child come true the minute a nameless, hexed teenager (Joe Locke) joined her quest? Listen Now to hear if Justin, Stuart, and Arnie sing the praises of this WandaVision sequel.
E1637 · 9 Jun 2026 · 2 hr 3 min

Masters of the Universe (2026) Movie Review

Fistos of Fury Manchild Nicholas Galitzine (Red, White & Royal Blue) dares to stand in Dolph Lundgren’s spot and attempt to wield the Sword of Power in the 2026 reboot of Masters of the Universe. Will his newfound muscles and brute strength impress boyhood crush Teela (Riverdale’s Camila Mendes), Man-At-Arms Idris Elba (Thor), and disapproving dad James Purefoy (Resident Evil)? Or has Jared Leto (Tron: Ares) ruined yet another kids' franchise with his eccentric take on villain Skeletor? Find out if director Travis Knight fumbled another Bumblebee when you Listen Now!
E1635 · 3 Jun 2026 · 1 hr 30 min

He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword Movie Review

By The Power of Filmation Before the Masters of the Universe conquer 2026 movie theaters, Arnie, Marjorie, and Stuart dish about the 1985 animated feature that reveals He-Man and She-Ra are twins. Is The Secret of the Sword that Adora is a real-life Eternia princess who’s been kidnapped and gaslighted by evil adoptive parents Hordak and Shadow Weaver… or just that Mattel would do anything to sell girls on a new doll line? And will Skeletor solicit help from this Horde so that he can finally seize control of coveted Castle Greyskull? You have the power to Listen Now!
E1634 · 1 Jun 2026 · 43 min

Intermission #4: Maclunky, Walkie-Talkies, and the Death of Movies

The fourth Intermission finds the hosts debating film preservation, 4K restorations, AI upscaling, George Lucas's Star Wars revisions, Spielberg's E.T. walkie-talkies, and whether modern transfers are preserving movies or changing them. Plus, Jason completes a year-and-a-half watch-through of the entire Kristy Swanson filmography, Arnie revisits 1995's Mortal Kombat, listener Tom Ross hosts a trivia challenge, and the conversation wanders through Darth Maul, The Boys, Project Hail Mary, and more.
E1632 · 26 May 2026 · 2 hr 6 min

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu Movie Review

The old protect the young, and the young develop poor eating habits. The Mandalorian and Grogu have left Disney+ behind to take orders from sci-fi queen Sigourney Weaver (Alien) in a big-screen 2026 Star Wars movie. But does Pedro Pascal need to go rescue little "Stinky the Hutt" now that he’s grown into big, buff Jeremy Allen White (The Bear)? And can director Jon Favreau (Elf) find The Way to balance between adrenalizing fans of the badass bounty hunter and soothing everyone else that’s come for adorable Baby Yoda? Learn if Arnie, Justin, and Stuart bring this spin-off in warm or cold when…
E1630 · 22 May 2026 · 20 min

The Birds by Daphne du Maurier Book Review

Before Alfred Hitchcock turned birds into cinematic terror, The Birds was a bleak, intimate apocalypse story from author Daphne du Maurier. In this special Now Playing Podcast Book Review, Arnie looks at the 1952 short story that inspired Hitchcock’s classic film and finds something very different: a grim survival tale closer to War of the Worlds, I Am Legend, and Night of the Living Dead than the Hollywood thriller audiences know. From post-war paranoia to unexplained cosmic dread, hear why this short story still works over 70 years later, why its ending hits so hard, and why Hitchcock may…
E1629 · 20 May 2026 · 2 hr 28 min

Star Wars: The Mandalorian - Season 3 Review

Is this The Way to make a follow-up to a hit show? Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) aims to bring the various Mandalorian factions together and reclaim their homeworld in Season Three of the popular Star Wars series. Does that mean The Armorer can give Pedro Pascal a pass for peeking out from under his helmet and pushing his foundling child Grogu to become his combat-ready apprentice? Or would Grogu prefer to remain coddled by psycho fans like Amy Sedaris, Jack Black, and Lizzo? Find out if villain Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) can Force himself into the crowded storylines when you Listen…

About Now Playing - The Movie Review Podcast

Now Playing - The Movie Review Podcast is a English film & tv podcast from Venganza Media, Inc.. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Venganza Media, Inc.
Language: English
Category: Film & TV
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 1 hr 28 min
Latest episode: 6 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id259617791

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