Final Destination Bloodlines might be your sixth FD or your first (or maybe, like Kevin and Drea, you aren't confident about which ones you've seen or not). For our guest writer, filmmaker, and genre-film expert BJ Colangelo, Final Destination is THE horror franchise, making her the perfect lead for our metaphorical dance with Death. After we discuss the film, we honor the late Tony Todd by talking about our favorite "horror oracles."

What’s Good?
Alonso - Étoile (the new show from Amy Sherman-Paladino & Daniel Paladino, on Prime)
Drea - Mission Impossible franchise rewatch
BJ - Cash’s high school graduation
Kevin - Kara Morgan’s one woman show, Inner Voices

ITIDIC

1. Max is HBO Max Again
2. Clarksdale, MS, Setting for SINNERS, Petitions for Special Screening
3. Tubi Has a New Category Filled With Classic Movies From the Criterion Collection

Here’s the teaser trailer for Final Destination Bloodlines (as Alonso mentioned)

Staff Picks
Drea - Jane Austen Wrecked My Life
Alonso - Caught by the Tides
BJ - The Ugly Stepsister
Kevin - Open Water

Sleep Away Camp book, written by BJ and Harmony Colangelo

This Ends at Prom podcast

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With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Tim Robinson (of I Think You Should Leave fame) hits the big screen in Andrew DeYoung’s feature debut. He’s becoming buds with Paul Rudd, but don’t call it a bromance – call it ‘Friendship.’ We’ve got a friend of our own joining us: comedian Michelle Biloon. After the movie chat, we’ll discuss some memorable drug trip/fever dream movie sequences. 

What’s Good
Alonso - Season 2 of Poker Face
Drea - Bentonville Film Festival Lineup Announced
Michelle - free airplane gin seconds
Kevin - Jill Sobule’s music

ITIDIC

1. Catholic Cardinals Reportedly Consulted ‘Conclave’ Film Ahead of Vote for Next Pope
2. Cinecittà on Track to Build the Biggest One-Stop-Shop in Europe
3. Milestone Films Will Be Given Away

Staff Picks
Alonso - I Love You Man
Drea - Queen of the Ring
Michelle - Nice Girls Don’t Explode
Kevin - Avengers: Endgame

Avengers: Engame audience reaction video

Michelle’s albums are:
Permanent Hat
You Can Be an Asshole

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With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

It’s episode 401 and we’ve reassembled, now with Kevin Avery at the helm. Back in the guest chair is the familiar voice of Jordan Morris, Maximum Fun superstar and writer of TV and comics. And the movie is Thunderbolts* , the MCU’s little gang of misfits film that just might have what it takes to make you feel again.** Then we’ll have a movie quiz to test our memories of MCU Phases past.

What’s Good
Alonso - “my first dump salad”
Drea - WhatsApp + voicenotes = “friendship podcast”
Jordan - The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar
Kevin -  Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

ITIDIC

1. Spike Lee’s New Film, Which Reunites Him With Denzel, To Premiere at Cannes
2. Oscar Voters Have to Watch the Movies Now

Staff Picks
Drea - Sacramento
Alonso - Godard’s King Lear (Wiki)
Kevin - Magic Mike XXL
Jordan - Black Bag

*yes we’re still calling it that
**about Marvel movies specifically. General depression reduction not guaranteed. But hey, worth a shot!

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With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

It’s been a long time…and a sizeable chunk of this podcast! We’re preparing a hell of a party this week, as we hit 400, Ify cruises into the sunset as host, and we finally cover the original supernatural drama that film nerd dreams are made of, Ryan Coogler’s SINNERS. We’ve got past guest and IRL Ify bud Cody Ziglar riding shotgun this week to boot! And we dream up what some serious films might be like if we threw some vampires into the mix.

What’s Good
Alonso - Pineapple Upside-Down Cake (especially Nancy Silverton’s)
Drea - “How long does it actually take” TikToks
Zig - Tom Cruise coconut cake from Doan’s Bakery (+Ify mentions King’s rainbow cake)
Ify - Neotropolis

Ify’s Staff Picks on Letterboxd

Ryan Coogler Aspect ratio video

Staff Picks
Alonso - Red Rooms
Drea - Let the Right One In (and Green Room)
Zig - Assault on Precinct 13 and From Dusk Till Dawn
Ify - From Dusk Till Dawn

Thanks to our sponsor, Good Story Guild! Listen to In Media Res wherever you get your podcasts.

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With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

We’ve got the fabulous Parvesh Cheena here, once again on the gaysian movie beat! This time around, it’s Andrew Ahn’s THE WEDDING BANQUET, which reimagines and modernizes the core story of a nearly unseeable 1993 Ang Lee film (maybe try your local library?). It’s a complicated relationship comedy between two queer couples, and two of their matriarchs.  Plus, we choose which classic films we’d like to see get a queer remake (besides all of them).

What’s Good
Alonso - TCM Festival
Drea - Drag Race finale, TV as a group activity
Parvesh - More Drag Race
Ify - Temptation Island (see also: Montoya Por Favor)

ITIDIC

1. SINNERS is the first horror movie to receive an ‘A’ Cinema Score
2. Wicked’s VOD “Bonus Features” Are Getting Tons of Plays

Staff Picks
Drea - The Half of It
Alonso - Art for Everybody
Parv - A Nice Indian Boy
Ify - Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

See Parvesh in Trauma Play at IAMA

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With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Our own Mr. January, Kevin Avery, joins the crew IRL (!!!) for an episode all about one of Ify’s favorite movies, The Big Lebowski. With a foursome made up of half long-time Little Lebowskis and half newcomers to the film, we’re tackling a much-memorized Coen Classic with fresh(ish) eyes. Plus, some Very Big Show News and a rundown of movies we can’t shut up about.

This in-studio episode happened because of members who supported Maximum Film! In the latest MaxFunDrive. Check out the video version of the episode on MaxFun’s YouTube page!

What’s Good
Alonso - Right-on pudding (Petit Pot)
Drea - Davy Mayer’s alder win in Madison, WI
Kevin - The Traitors UK
Ify - Latex jumpsuit

ITIDIC

• Oscars Add a Category Honoring Stunts for 2027
• Meta and Blumhouse Are Bringing a Second Screen Experience to Cinemas
• Cinema Dedicated to LGBTQ+ Films Opens in London

Staff Picks
Ify - The Amateur
Alonso - A Minecraft Movie
Kevin - Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One
Drea - Psycho Therapy: The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write About a Serial Killer

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With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Naomi Watts, Bill Murray, and a Great Dane named Bing star alongside a lot of terrific character actors in this adaptation of the 2018 National Book Award-winning novel by Sigrid Nunez. Is it your run of the mill pet movie, or something more? While we’re (topically) in New York City, we thought we’d collect some nominees for the Hall of Excellence!

What’s Good
Alonso - Michael G. Lee’s biography of Randy Shilts, When the Band Played On
Drea - Miss Eggy’s live television moment
Ify - Wayfair delivery journey

ITIDIC

1. Young Moviegoers Are Making a Ruckus at Minecraft Movie Screenings
2. Tangled Live-Action Remake Gets Put on Pause
3. A New Arthouse Cinema is Opening in Manhattan

Hall of Excellence
Into the Spiderverse (possibly any Spiderman)
Sweet Smell of Success
Do the Right Thing

Staff Picks
Drea - A NICE INDIAN BOY
Alonso - PLAY IT AS IT LAYS
Ify - MARLEY AND ME

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With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Cate Blanchett, her wardrobe, Michael Fassbender, Rege-Jean Page, that house, Pierce Brosnan…there are so many nice things to look at in Steven Soderbergh’s new spy thriller, in theaters and already out on streaming now. The caper moves along, but does it move us? Find out with film critic and writer Kristen Lopez. Then we name some of our favorite movie marriages.

What’s Good?
Alonso - A stunt in the senate, finally
Drea - uptick in black cat adoption (thanks, Flow)
Kristen - Finishing Women in Love for her forthcoming book
Ify - Catsitting for Gotrek and Felix

ITIDIC

• Sundance Moving to Boulder!
• Studios Making Money From Fake AI Trailers on YouTube

Staff Picks
Alonso - An Unfinished Film
Drea - The Ballad of Wallis Island
Kristen - The Goodbye Girl
Ify - Léon: The Professional

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With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

It's the end of the MaxFunDrive! Support this show directly (and any others on the network, if you wish!) at MaximumFun.org/join

We're covering a movie that started out as a noteworthy Sundance debut from director Elijah Bynum, but later became noteable for much less fun reasons. While we attempt to separate art from artist -- in this case, star Jonathan Majors -- the film's intensity and dark subject matter don't make that a simple task. We've got writer and comedian David Gborie with us to assist. Then, we go through some of the non-horror movies that most freaked us out.

What’s Good
Alonso - Luke Macfarlane’s Home Is Where the Heart Is
Drea - Nature videos for cats as background
David - PM Dawn Radio while cycling
Ify - Buff dude’s morning routine video (and comments)

ITIDIC

1. ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ May Be Rescued from WB Purgatory After All
2. Hollywood Director Charged with Defrauding Netflix for $11m
3. Emerald Fennell’s ‘Wuthering Heights’ Being Shot in Vistavision

Staff Picks
Drea - Teddy Bear
Alonso - On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
David - Polite Society
Ify - Pumping Iron

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With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

For way, way, way more Bonus Content, become a member! All you have to do is go to MaxiumumFun.org/join. Your membership money goes straight to the creators of the podcasts you love!

With Ify Nwadiwe, Drea Clark, Alonso Duralde, and Stuart Wellington (of The Flop House).

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With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher