Maximum Film!

Since winning the Grand Jury prize at the Venice Film festival, SAINT OMER, a movie based on the real life experience of its French-Senegalese director Alice Diop, has appeared on many critics’ lists, and is now becoming available to see in the US. Ellie Foumbi, director of Spirit Award nominee Our Father, The Devil (which also screened in Venice!) is our guest.

Then, we hear Hall of Excellence results and take a Hotline call about critically acclaimed movies that are hard to see in much of the country.  

New Hotline Website!

What’s Good
Alonso - Everything’s coming up Company
Drea - Willow TV Series
Ellie - Norman Malone: For the Left Hand
Ify - snowboarding and dad stories

ITIDIC

1. Winners Have Been Announced at the Sundance Film Festival
2. The Academy Reviewing Its “Campaign Procedures”
3. Regal Cinemas to Screen all Best Picture Nominees

Staff Picks
Alonso - Atlantics
Drea - The Inspection
Ellie - An Elephant Sitting Still
Ify - The Menu

Our sponsor this week is Star of Magnolia

Support independent filmmakers on their quest to make their first feature film, KING TARA. Visit www.gofundme.com/kingtarafilm

With:
Ify Nwadiwe
Drea Clark 
Alonso Duralde
Ellie Foumbi

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinmaxfilm

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With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

“A nice guy and his playboy buddy host an ill-advised mega-party.” That vague logline is what the original HOUSE PARTY (1990) starring Kid N' Play has in common with the new HOUSE PARTY, starring Jacob Lattimore and Tosin Cole. Well, that and the title. For today’s episode, the core gang digs into a whole comparative analysis of these two movies. 

Then, there’s a new round of nominees for the Hall of Excellence. 

What’s Good?
Alonso - Big-ass Box of Bacon
Drea - Duolingo streak
Ify - SF Sketchfest 

ITIDIC

• Regal Cinemas Closing 39 Theaters in Cineworld Bankruptcy Aftermath
• Zoe Saldaña Becomes the First Actor to Star in Four Films That Have Crossed the Two Billion Dollar Mark
• The Oscar Nominations Came Out this Week

Staff Picks
Drea - Lovers Rock
Alonso - Happy As Lazzaro
Ify - Class Act

Our sponsor this week is Star of Magnolia
Support independent filmmakers on their quest to make their first feature film, KING TARA. Visit www.gofundme.com/kingtarafilm

With:
Ify Nwadiwe
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinmaxfilm

Follow us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, or Letterboxd

With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Talk about a two-hand spectacular! We’ve got Nikole Beckwith, the director of one phenomenal indie two-hander (Together Together, starring Ed Helms and Patti Harrison) talking about the two-hander debut from director Charlotte Wells (in which the two “hands” are Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio). And only two of our usual hosts are here (which was totally planned, look how nice it all lines up, no holes in this story!). Then there’s a quiz about – what else – Two-Handers! 

(A two-hander is a movie that mainly focuses on on two leads, in case that wasn’t clear from context.)

What’s Good
Drea- Birthday float tank visit
Nikole - fresh snow
Alonso - Liza Minnelli’s album w/ Pet Shop Boys

ITIDIC

1. This past holiday weekend was the strongest at the box office in a while
2. Netflix is planning a lot of Korean programming for 2023
3. Sundance 2023 Has Begun!

Staff Picks
Drea - Saint Omer
Nikole - The Cathedral
Alonso - Slither (1973)

We’re sponsored this week by MasterClass.

Get unlimited access to EVERY MasterClass, and as a Maximum Film listener, you get 15% off an annual membership! Go to MasterClass.com/MAXFILM.

With:
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde
Nikole Beckwith
Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinmaxfilm

Follow us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, or Letterboxd

With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

The co-host of Good Christian Fun joins us to talk about a movie that is quite good, pretty Christian, and not a ton of fun. But it's also not, as Caroline points out, a "stone cold bummer." It's the latest film from Sarah Polley, based on a book by Miriam Toews, and is fascinating both on a literal and a metaphorical level. We get serious between goofs, and then lighten the mood with a Hotline letter about movie scores.

What’s Good
Alonso - Pointer Sisters’ Sesame Street Song
Drea - Yung Gravy gives bras to charity
Caroline - Jessica Simpson’s Open Book
Ify - TikTok refrigerator hack

ITIDIC

1. The Golden Globes Were on TV Again…
2. Dave Bautista Says He’s Ready to Leave Drax and the MCU Behind
3.  AFI Study Documents Women’s Contributions to Early Cinema

Staff Picks
Alonso - Petite Maman
Drea - My Year of Dicks
Caroline - M3GAN
Ify - also M3GAN

With:
Ify Nwadiwe
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde
Caroline Ely

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinmaxfilm

Follow us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, or Letterboxd

With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Long before THE WHALE was released, Drea texted our friend (comedian, movie star, and Mr. Prune) Guy Branum and asked him to join us for this episode whenever it happened. So today, we answer the question: What happens when a provocative filmmaker puts an excellent, straight actor in an elaborate fat suit and then films a stage play about it? 

Plus, everyone shares some 2023 New Movie Year Resolutions, and tells us who else they'd like to have a big-screen comeback.

What's Good
Alonso - Dot’s Cheese Curls
Drea - The Seven  (1/2) Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle  by Stuart Turton
Guy - Wet Leg, Chaise Longue
Ify - Szechuan Noodles from H-Mart (the ones in the beige package)

Staff Picks
Drea - Women Talking
Alonso - Bros
Guy - Born Yesterday
Ify - Driveways

With:
Ify Nwadiwe
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde
Guy Branum
Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinmaxfilm

Follow us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, or Letterboxd

With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

It’s the final episode of 2022! We start out with our annual MAXI AWARDS, and then move on to top 10 lists from each host. No matter what the haters say, it was a year of great movies — there’s only one film that appears on all three lists, and only three repeats in all. That’s a lot of best movies! Plus, we’ll close things out by looking forward to some of next year’s titles. 

What’s Good

Alonso - But Have You Read the Book? by Kristen Lopez
Drea - Screen Drafts: (Worst) Spielbergs 
Ify - AMC A-List?!

Top 10s
Ify
10. WAKANDA FOREVER
9. BULLET TRAIN
8. FIRE ISLAND
7. PREY
6. UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT
5. AFTER YANG
4. NOPE
3. SHE SAID
2. HONK FOR JESUS. SAVE YOUR SOUL.
1. EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE

Drea
AFTERSUN
AFTER YANG
BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
CORSAGE
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S PINOCCHIO
A LOVE SONG
ON THE COUNT OF THREE
TÁR
WOMEN TALKING

Alonso
10. BENEDICTION
9. BROS
8. ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED
7. WOMEN TALKING
6. APOLLO 10½ : A SPACE AGE CHILDHOOD
5. EO
4. NO BEARS
3. HIT THE ROAD
2. EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
1. RRR

***

With:
Ify Nwadiwe
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinmaxfilm

Follow us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, or Letterboxd

With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Christmas-averse city boy Sam meets holiday-loving smalltown Jason…who can guess what might happen next? it’s a Hallmark Channel holiday movie first, and we’re here to dissect it in all its sweet, slapstick-y, romantic glory, with film and culture writer Justin Kirkland in (mistle)tow.

Then, a double dose of Holiday Hotline calls , and the last Christmas Movie Minute of 2022!

What’s Good
Alonso - Monastery of Angels Pumpkin Bread 
Drea - the outer limits of vanity
Justin - first latke
Ify - Modjeska time!

ITIDIC

1. Henry Cavill’s Getting a Warhammer Movie
2. Donald Glover is Producing/Starring in a New Spider-Man Movie
3. The First Barbie Teaser Trailer Has Been Released

Staff Picks
Alonso - All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Drea - Wildcat 
Justin - Women Talking 
Ify - Die Hard

We're sponsored by MasterClass
This holiday, give the perfect gift of an annual MasterClass membership and get one free! Go to MasterClass.com/MAXFILM today.

Justin’s podcast, John Dutton Must Die

Alonso’s Books
I'll Be Home for Christmas Movies     
Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas

***

With:
Ify Nwadiwe
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde
Justin Kirkland

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinmaxfilm

Follow us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, or Letterboxd

With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

The pitch: “Die Hard but Bruce Willis is Santa, Nakatomi Plaza is a rich lady’s house, and Hans Gruber is John Leguizamo. Also add in some Home Alone, a lot of bone-crushing, and jokes.” The pitch meeting might not have gone down exactly like that, but the resulting film is called Violent Night, and we’re talking about it today with the director of the new RLJE/Shudder/AMC holiday horror film The Apology! Then, Alonso will adjudicate a Santa/Scrooge movie quiz. 

What’s Good
Alonso - Neal Bledsoe’s statement on stepping away from GAF
Drea - Clark Family Murder Mystery Dinner Party
Alison - Christmas nail art!
Ify - snowboarding trip turned cozy, indoor trip

ITIDIC

1. Black Adam Didn’t Kill at the Box Office
2. Dwayne Johnson posted a set photo of J.K. Simmons as a Jacked Santa
3. James Cameron prepped Avatar 2 Writers Room w/800 pages of notes

Staff Picks
Drea - The Apology
Alonso - Spirited
Alison - International Falls
Ify -  William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet

***

With:
Ify Nwadiwe
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde
Alison Star Locke

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinmaxfilm

Follow us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, or Letterboxd

With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Screenwriter and director Daniel Waters (Heathers, Hudson Hawk, Batman Returns, Vampire Academy) joins what he’s hoping will be a “wall-to-wall lovefest” for Bones and All, the cannibal love story starring former Ify Nwadiwe co-star Timothée Chalamet. Will one of our hosts rip his proverbial still beating heart from his chest? That’s the drama today on a very memorable episode of Max™️.

Then, we’ll have a Hotline call about favorite movie scumbags. And a Christmas Movie Minute!

What’s Good
Alonso - Matt Rogers, Have You Heard of Christmas?
Drea - silk pillowcases
Daniel - Trent Reznor’s score to this film (and via Alonso, Batman Returns as a Christmas movie)
Ify - Nicholas Brittell’s Moonlight score/5th Anniversary edition

ITIDIC

1. Warner Bros Discovery Testing New Names for Combined Streaming Services
2. Rustic Films Team Makes Deal to Create 10 Microbudget Features
3. 23 in ‘23: The Oscars Will Air All 23 Categories Live 

Staff Picks
Drea - Leonor Will Never Die
Daniel - Return to Seoul
Alonso - The Holiday Sitter
Ify - Spinners, a short film starring Timothée  Chalamet

We’re sponsored this week by The Podcast Podcast Podcast. Each week podcasters ONeil, Olivia and Tyler pitch each other innovative, lucrative, and absolutely bonkers podcast ideas - then create them in the second half of the show! Follow along at WebsiteWebsiteWebsite.biz or on social media @TriplePCast.

Here’s how to get your own Jumbotron.

Alonso’s Christmas Books!
I’ll Be Home For Christmas Movies
Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas

***

With:
Ify Nwadiwe
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde
Daniel Waters

Produced by  Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinmaxfilm

Follow us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, or Letterboxd

With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Travel back in time to everyone’s favorite year, 2016, as the true story of reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor’s exposé of Harvey Weinstein unfolds before your eyes. Plus, we go from movie news to news movies as we take a look back at the year in Film Twitter and then rip some movie plots from the headlines. And a Christmas Movie Minute!

What’s Good?
Alonso - Christmas Past by Brian Earl
Drea - Lisa Eldridge lipstick in Skyscraper Rose
Katie - RRR at the Aero
Ify - Christmas decorations

Staff Picks
Drea - Lady Chatterly’s Lover
Alonso - All the President's Men
Katie - Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman
Ify - Drive

Alonso’s Christmas Books!
I’ll Be Home For Christmas Movies
Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas

Additional Reading:
Gabrielle Bluestone on Danielle Miller for NYMag
Ryan Gosling in Hammer Pants

***

With:
Ify Nwadiwe
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde
Katie Walsh

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer  Laura Swisher

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinmaxfilm

Follow us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, or Letterboxd

With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher