Reel Phonies

Tom Hardy is back for one final(?) turn as Venom. How does this film stack up against the prior two? And are these movies just Godzilla movies in disguise?

In this latest Alien entry (thankfully) not directed by Ridley Scott, a young, desperate crew seek deliverance in an abandoned space station only to find it's not as deserted as they anticipated. This film is both a standalone horror and an homage to the entire Alien franchise but does it accomplish either?

Possibly the most marketed film in human history, Wicked is a star-studded screen adaptation of a beloved Broadway musical. But how does it rank in the pantheon of musical adaptations? Do Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo do justice to these iconic roles? And why do the drum parts kick so much ass?

Almost a decade after Fury Road, George Miller has turned the orange filter back on to tell more tales from the wasteland. Anya Taylor-Joy takes center stage as a young Furiosa battling for survival and freedom from the maniacal Dementus (Chris Hemsworth). But how does this movie stack against the other Mad Max entries? And is it better than its box office performance suggests?

The 90's are back and Cyclops is cool again! Join us as we'll be discussing the first 4 episodes of this modern continuation of the classic 90's show and seeing how it stacks up against other X-Men adaptations.

On November 10, 2023, Marvel released a 100-minute long MCU title that not a single person on Earth saw. This week we are unearthing it from its floppy tomb to see if it really deserved to bomb as hard as it did. 

If you like shows that make you feel stressed out, boy, have we got the thing for you. This week we're talking the first two seasons of The Bear, the critically acclaimed, half-hour drama that makes running a restaurant feel like diffusing bombs. 

Paul Atreides returns in Part 2 of Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi epic Dune. Most of our favorite cast return (RIP Leto Atreides) and welcome new additions Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, and Christopher Walken. But how does this sequel hold up compared to its beloved predecessor?

You know that one Spider-Man character that isn't Spider-Man or Venom or MJ or Green Goblin or Gwen Stacy or Doc Ock or J. Jonah Jameson or Spider-Woman or Carnage or Kingpin or Aunt May or Black Cat or Mysterio or Sandman or.....(you get the idea)? Anyway, this is a whole movie about Madame Web for some reason. 

As the most watched television program each year, many studios save their best material for the biggest audience. This year we got trailers for a 90s classic, a beloved musical adaptation, some Ryan Reynolds/Hugh Jackman passion project.

The year is 2008: Marvel is taking a big swing by opening their own movie studio, Chris Nolan's Dark Knight makes a billion dollars, and Eli Manning and the Giants spoil the Patriot's perfect season. But not everything made the front page. We're here to dig up some hidden gems from this year including an overlooked Will Ferrell classic, a star-studded crime drama, and the Wachoski's divisive follow-up to the Matrix.

The success of Emerald Fennell's latest film, Saltburn, proves eating the rich never goes out of style. Starring Barry Keoghan and Jacob Elordi, this occasionally gross, deeply unsubtle movie skewers the upper crust and probably anyone that's ever been to Oxford.

We're catching up on some December/January news including an announced casting for Abby in the second season of Last of Us, a director/writer reunion for a 28 Days Later sequel, updates on how Tom Cruise is moving the Hollywood machine, and a Jon Favreau directed movie starring helmet-head and baby Yoda.

We didn't think some audio issues should stop you from enjoying our favorites of the last year and the movies we're most excited about in 2024.

Fight Club lovers rejoice! David Fincher is going back to the edgy, cynical well in his newest action thriller, The Killer. Featuring Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton, and a considerable amount of The Smith's discography, is this flick pandering to angsty, misanthropic fantasy or does it poke a little fun at its protagonist (and maybe its prospective audience)?

Scott Pilgrim takes it back to 2D in this reinterpretation of the original graphic novel that fleshes out more of its star-studded cast. Featuring tremendously stylish animation and a killer soundtrack, how does this TV series stack up to the highly esteemed Edgar Wright film?

As this 10-year fantasy epic draws to a close, we reflect on some of the highs and lows of the best show about giant monsters eating people. We cover the divisive finale, some of the most memorable moments from the series, and why it absolutely should have ended with a movie. (...we also talk about Spider-Man 3 again)

For our final HHfC entry of 2023, we are tackling the movie adaptation of the popular horror franchise Five Nights at Freddy's which turned out to have not many scares at all. Does this movie hold up to an audience who's never played the game and is it as good as its knockoff starring Nicholas Cage?

For our slasher pick this year, we found an 80's satire somewhere between Scream and Scary Movie: McG's The Babysitter. If you came here for meaningful metaphors and sharp social commentary, you may want to look elsewhere; if you want to see hot teens(?) getting murdered, this is the movie for you.

We continue our series of scary movies for wimps with a movie that probably isn't for wimps: Barbarian. This horror film about an AirBnB gone awry, written and directed by Whitest Kids U'Know alum Zach Cregger, starts with some heavy tension and only goes downhill from there.

As we enter the spookiest month of the year, these three wimps face our fears and watch a bunch of scary movies. First up this year, a home invasion horror with an extraterrestrial twist and some generally fantastic production quality. Join us as we talk about this Hulu exclusive horror/thriller: No One Will Save You.

The last remnant of a DC universe gone by, The Flash brings back some familiar faces, young and old, to anchor this time-traveling adventure. But does patchwork franchise starring a problematic lead justify its big gamble? Or was this record-setting box office flop a little better than its reputation?

One of the most beloved additions to the Star Wars universe, Ahsoka Tano finally makes her live-action debut in an epic adventure to stop a threat to a burgeoning republic. Does this new series recapture some classic Star Wars magic? Or is Disney just adding more padding to justify their streaming service?

The turtles are back and more teenage than ever! This star-studded Seth Rogen reboot brings new life to familiar characters as the turtles  venture into the human world and wrestle with how they fit in it.

We're catching up on as much post-strike news as possible including the reunion of the Coen brothers, Guillermo del Toro's next classic monster movie, Fantastic Four casting retractions, and trailers for Ahsoka, Ridley Scott's Napoleon, and Loki season 2.

In honor of the greatest double feature of the decade, we're doing a special double episode for two of the most different movies imaginable, Greta Gerwig's Barbie and Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer.

We join Indy on one last adventure as he once again battles hidden Nazis for control of the ultimate weapon: Time. But has Indy's time already passed? And how does the franchise hold up without the influence of its creators?

In anticipation of the new last Indiana Jones film, we revisit the last last Indiana Jones movie, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It's got Tarzan vine swinging and some retrospectively questionable casting decisions but it also has more in common with the first 3 than you might think.

We're catching up on some of the latest Hollywood news and rumors including whatever the heck Sony is doing with all the Spider-Man villains, a Lord of War sequel, and trailers for Martin Scorsese's new flick, Disney's Haunted Mansion, and Dune 2.

Miles Morales is back for a visually spectacular, character-rich thrill ride in this virtuosic follow-up to the first Spider-Verse film. We can't even pretend to be on the fence about this one but help us count the ways in which Across the Spider-Verse is the best superhero movie of 2023. 

The Next Generation is back for one more hurrah and 2/3 of this podcast is very excited about it! Picard and all his buddies face new and familiar foes and numerous inconveniently-timed transporter malfunctions.

The Guardians are back for one big finale! As James Gunn writes the swan song for his galactic misfits, we talk highlights/lowlights, see how this entry compares to the other two volumes, and discuss how this reflects on Gunn's big move to DC.

If you like fantasy, action, comedy, and one of the better Chris's, then you'll love the Dungeons & Dragons movie. We talk about whether the brand name helped or hurt the box office, suss out some nods to the game, and try to figure out how we can get a sequel going.

We're catching up on all the news this month including a live-action Moana film, a full (familiar) cast for the Scott Pilgrim anime, trailers for TMNT, The Marvels, and Wes Anderson's latest, and lots of Star Wars news straight from the bantha's mouth.

Ant-Man is back and smaller than ever! Does this entry make the Ant-Man series the best trilogy since Star Wars? No. Is it a serviceable action-adventure flick for the whole family? ...Maybe?

HBO's latest phenom has come and gone and left us only with our feelings. We take a look at the highs and lows, compare and contrast with the source material, and try to figure out who the bad guy was. (...it was David)

What's the world of Star Wars like when you're not the chosen one? This week we tackle Andor and view life in a galaxy firmly under the authoritarian boot of the Empire. But is more grounded Star Wars better?

Our favorite adventuring party returns to get their keisters roasted by a bunch of dragons. We delight over the manifestation of our favorite story lines, discuss some of the highs and lows of the series, and apply the most critical eye we can muster for a beloved series.

James Gunn has assumed the DC throne and is making bold proclamations of DC movies and TV shows to come. We're getting a new Supes movie, Booster Gold, Batman AND Robin, and many more. 

Join us as we take one last look at the best movies of 2022 and peek forward to the most exciting releases coming out in 2023.

James Cameron returns with the sequel to Avatar 13 years in the making. We rejoin Jake Sully as familiar foes threaten his family and their planet. But how does it stack up to the original and does it earn its 3+ hour runtime?

Benoit Blanc returns for a new mystery packed with rich idiots in beautiful outfits. This new star-studded suspect list includes Edward Norton, Janelle Monae, Dave Bautista, Kate Hudson, Katheryn Hahn, and Leslie Odom Jr.

Join us as we catch up on the latest Hollywood news including the turmoil and fallout at DC film studios, changing of the Bob's at Disney, a prospective Bond replacement for Daniel Craig, and the first looks at Indy 5, GotG3, and Ant-Man 3.

The Guardians are back to steal Kevin Bacon and save Christmas! A short 42 minute romp, Drax, Mantis, and the rest of the crew embark on a misguided quest to rekindle Starlord's Christmas spirit. Also, it's NOT filler.

Our favorite Wakandan heroes return in this somber sequel to mourn the loss of the Black Panther and battle an unexpected foe. But can this film overcome the T'Challa-shaped shadow hanging over it? How does it stack up against the original?  

It's episode 200 and we are celebrating by taking beloved movies, directors and actors and reevaluating their worth in the cosmic equilibrium. Perfectly balanced, as all things should be...

As this charmingly unconventional show wraps up, we take a look back at the best and the worst of this comedy/legal drama/superhero series. We also discuss how She-Hulk directly engages with the dark side of geek culture and where we might see Jen Walters next.

Michael Giacchino takes a break from being an Oscar-winning composer to direct this taut ode to Universal monster movies that is also somehow a Marvel property. We take a moment to enjoy this very Halloweeny Marvel special and explore other specials that should follow its example.

We dive into this year's Disney data dump which featured multiple new Star Wars projects, a first look at the upcoming Thunderbolts movie, Indiana Jones 5 news, and more! Also, Keanu Reeves' Constantine is back?!!!

If you're looking for a nuanced exploration of the superstar entertainer with a complicated history, you are in the wrong place. Baz Luhrmann invites you to a 3-hour assault of light and noise that is sure to either delight or repel you.

She's mean, she's green, and she's looking directly at the screen. This week we're delving into Marvel's She-Hulk: a lawyer show that's also a superhero show that's also aware it's a show that is somehow way less complicated than it sounds.