Now You’re Re-playing With Power

Chris Pratt gives voice to Nintendo’s mascot in the splashy new Super Mario Bros Movie. But did the Brooklyn plumber level up from poorly rendered previous incarnations starring Captain Lou Albano and Bob Hoskins by letting Illumination Studios (Despicable Me) animate his 2023 adventure?  And do Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Donkey Kong (Seth Rogan) really need help stopping lizard Bowser (Jack Black) from invading their pixelated kingdoms? Listen and find out if Stuart, Justin, and Arnie are (raccoon) suited to review the latest Arcade entry.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

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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

TV & Film

Film Reviews

We Don’t Need Another Hardy
Director George Miller crafts the fifth installment of his Mad Max Saga into an origin story for one-armed trucker Furiosa. Anya Taylor-Joy (Queen’s Gambit) takes the wheel from Charlize Theron to guide audiences from her green homeworld of Many Mothers to the sandy turf wars between Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme) and new baddie Dementus (Chris Hemsworth). But is it wise for the 79-year-old creator to travel down his Fury Road without series icon Tom Hardy in the driver’s seat? Witness Jakob, Stuart, and Arnie make it epic with another podcast review.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Bye Bye Birdie
Brandon Lee returns from the grave through the power of The Crow to bring vengeance upon the Detroit punks who ruined his Halloween wedding. But can director Alex Proyas (Dark City) deliver a gritty comic book vision on par with Tim Burton’s Batman after an on-set tragedy prevented his star from completing this 1994 action flick? And how much help does the undead vigilante receive from ghostbuster Ernie Hudson, skater girl Rochelle Davis, and alt-rockers Stone Temple Pilots, Nine Inch Nails, and The Cure? Donate for Silver Level to find out now!

The Crow (1994) - A Podcast Preview

Killers Of the Woodpecking Loon
Alaqua Cox leaves New York City to reinvent herself as a Native American superhero, but that won’t stop her bad deeds in Hawkeye from coming back on her like an Echo. Can Maya Lopez restore honor to her Choctaw ancestors by baiting her abusive surrogate father, Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio), into a rematch on Oklahoma home soil?  And does the deaf character’s preference to let action speak louder than words translate into the bloodiest Disney+ effort yet?  Hear what Arnie, Jakob, and Stuart think about this 2024 MCU miniseries when you Listen Now

Echo

The End of the Road
Danny Glover might be too old for Lethal Weapon, but he’s still hip enough to monetize Death Race 4, a new generation turning to the Dark Web for pay-per-view entertainment. But should gambler Danny Trejo bet on longshot action star Zach McGowan (Agents of SHIELD) to outmaneuver champion driver Frankenstein on this new prison roadway?  And does Beyond Anarchy go beyond the craziness of Roger Corman’s original movie by giving grotesques like Matilda the Hun and Nazi Bastard a shot at the crown? 100 points to the first to Listen Now!

Death Race: Beyond Anarchy

Ford Vs Kalahari
Convict Luke Goss hits a speed bump on his road to freedom after Death Race 3 relocates the masked driver and his pit crew to a perilous African penitentiary. Can mechanic Danny Trejo pimp Frankenstein’s Mustang so that it withstands the sweltering Inferno of the desert, makes it through sandy terrain and hostile shantytowns, and beats ten other well-armed vehicles to the finish line?  And what are the odds that CEO Ving Rhames will steal back this ratings juggernaut from devious corporate raider Dougray Scott (Mission: Impossible II)? Listen and find out now!

The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

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