Maximum Film!

We’re on our way to Wakanda this Thanksgiving weekend, by land and by sea. Aaron “Bear Cov” Covington, co-writer of Creed and Grand Crew, is our illustrious guest. Plus, it’s our Turkeys of the Year episode…spoiler alert: it’s heavy on CEOs! 

What’s Good?
Alonso - Turkey Tetrazzini ("think about tetrazzini: you'll be glad you did")
Drea - Spirit Awards Nominations
Cov - Sacramento Kings
Ify - Escaping the IKEA parking lot

ITIDIC

a).  Fast X Budget Has Ballooned to Over $340m

b). Wan and Blum May Be Joining their Horror Houses

c). S.S. Rajamouli Floats the Possibility of an RRR 2

Staff Picks
Alonso - Santa Camp
Drea - Art and Krimes by Krimes
Cov - Gattaca
Ify - The Night Before

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

Aaron's Podcast: Black Guys on White Movies

We are sponsored by MasterClass!
This holiday, give one annual membership and get one free! Go to MasterClass.com/MAXFILM today. Terms apply.

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With:
Ify Nwadiwe
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde
Aaron Covington

Produced by  Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer  Laura Swisher

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

Sebastián Lelio directs Florence Pugh, Tom Burke, and a beatific kiddo (Kila Lord Cassidy) in the new Netflix film, The Wonder.

Then, we have Hall of Excellence results, a movie quiz about framing devices, and a Christmas Movie Minute.

What’s Good
Alonso - VHS
Drea - Ravensburger puzzles within puzzles
Leah - Wordle, kinda
Ify - St Louis trip and package season

ITIDIC
Marcel the Shell With Shoes On and Apollo 10 ½ will be considered for animation Oscar category
Scoob!: Holiday Haunt Has Wrapped Production…Despite Being Canceled 
The Red Carpet at the Milan Premiere of ‘Bones and All’ Was Shut Down

Staff Picks
Drea - Something in the Dirt
Alonso - Take This Waltz
Leah - Holy Spider (and All the Beauty and the Bloodshed)
Ify - Only God Forgives

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With:
Ify Nwadiwe
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde
Leah Greenblatt

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

Now streaming on AppleTV+ is the latest A24 release, the directorial debut of Lila Neugebauer. Set in New Orleans in the somewhat recent past, CAUSEWAY has a lot of pieces the gang loves. So, do they all come together into something screen-worthy? Let’s find out!

What’s Good Mentions
Alonso - Cap’n Crunch Christmas Crunch
Drea - autumn in New York
Ify - all the dumplings

ITIDIC

a.) Andy Serkis Would Love for Snoke to Have His Own Film

b). Lionsgate Is Cooking Up a Major John Wick Video Game

c). Missing Muppet Christmas Carol Song Will be Restored to Disney+ Version

Buy Alonso's book - I'll Be Home for Christmas Movies    

Ify at Flyover Comedy Festival                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Staff Picks:
Drea - Banshees of Inisherin
Alonso - If Beale Street Could Talk
Ify - Godzilla vs. Kong

With:
Ify Nwadiwe
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Producer 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

No, it’s not the The Invitation that came out this year; we’re taking it back to 2016, when Karyn Kusama’s thoughtful thriller The Invitation was released in theaters. Drea’s away on set, but we’ve got three (sometimes four) Angelenos and a Brooklynite sharing their movie thoughts, as well as their tips for when and how to leave a sketchy party. Oh, and Karyn Kusama was born in Brooklyn!

Later, Margo and Alonso imagine their dream casts for dinner party movies, and it’s the first Christmas Movie Minute of the season!.

What’s Good:
Alonso - Herr’s Old Bay Potato Chips 
Margo - Reboot on Hulu
Dave - Fuckwolf, “My Life”
Ify - Taping his episode of Grand Crew! H-Mart Snack Supremacy

ITIDIC:

1. Kevin Feige Is Happy For James Gunn, Really
2. Kenan Thompson Says a Goodburger sequel is closer than ever
3. Cate Blanchett Did Hot Ones and the Criterion Closet, Probably on the Same Day

Staff Picks:
Alonso - The Anniversary Party
Margo - The Hot Rock
Dave - Sicily! and the films of Daniele Huillet and Jean-Marie Straub
Ify - Prometheus

Margo’s Book is Filmed in Brooklyn; follow her on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok

Buy Alonso's book - I'll Be Home for Christmas Movies     

With:
Ify Nwadiwe
Alonso Duralde
Margo Donohue
Dave White

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

We’ve got film critic Robert Daniels to help us answer the hard-hitting questions about a film about the kind of gutwrenching true story you wish were pure fiction. Questions like: Did you want to see this movie? Then, we take a hotline call that brings in a healthy dose of Black Joy. 

What’s Good
Drea - wedding ridiculousness 
Robert - awesome Chicago weather
Ify - skincare

ITIDIC

1. Angelina Jolie Will Play Opera Singer Maria Callas in Pablo Larraín’s Next Film
2. Warner Bros.’ Cooks Up an NFT ‘experience’: The Fellowship in 4K
3. Tim Burton Says He’s Done with Disney after Dumbo Debacle

Staff Picks:
Drea - Clemency, Girls Trip
Robert - Aftersun, The Banshees of Inisherin
Ify - Watchmen (the show)

Robert’s TIME article: Witnessing Black Trauma Onscreen in 2022

Buy Alonso's book - I'll Be Home for Christmas Movies            

With:
Ify Nwadiwe
Drea Clark
Robert Daniels

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

Sometimes, when planning our Maximum Film! calendar, someone will text the group saying, “I just saw a movie and, hoo boy.” That’s how this episode was born. To help us on this horror journey, we have an expert guest, Nay Bever. Nay is an artist, a producer and interviewee on Queer for Fear, and co-host of Attack of the Queerwolf, and she gamely joins us to explain details like how Pinhead fits into the whole power hierarchy of Hell. 

What’s Good
Alonso - Dorie’s Cookies / Vanilla Sables
Drea - bivalent booster and other COVID accoutrement
Nay - dinner with friends
Ify - Marvel vs. Capcom 2; new season of The Challenge

ITIDIC

1. Harrison Ford is joining the MCU
2. Netflix Ad Tier Pricing Has Been Revealed
3. Director Christopher Landon Lambastes Studios Over Day-and-Date Horror Releases

Staff Picks:

Ify - The Neon Demon
Drea - Decision to Leave
Alonso - The Velvet Vampire
Nay - Child’s Play

Buy Alonso's book - I'll Be Home for Christmas Movies 

Episode Sponsor: MasterClass
Go to MasterClass.com/MAXFILM for 15% off MasterClass.

With:
Ify Nwadiwe
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde
Nay Bever

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

Comedian Steve Hernandez joins us to take a look at Universal's splashy gay rom-com. We talk about where it sits in queer cinema history and whether it delivered on its promises (of both the "rom" and "com" varieties).

Then, we get some characters from movies past set up with podcasting narrators of their own.

What’s Good
Alonso - Retail Christmas season
Steve - wedding planning, The Chatterbox, Rao’s sauce from the jar
Drea - Season 3 of Derry Girls

ITIDIC

a). John Waters Returns to Directing to Helm Adaptation of His Novel
b). Netflix Will Put Knives Out 2 in 600 Theaters For a Week
c). Velma is “Officially” Gay in the Newest Scooby-Doo Movie

Staff Picks
Drea - Straight Up (2022)
Alonso - Go Fish (1994)
Steve - Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat (2018)

We are sponsored by OVID.tv
Visit OVID.tv and use code MAXFILM for 50% off a year of boundary-pushing international cinema. 

With:
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde
Steve Hernandez

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

Welcome to Victory, where the sinks are spotless, the wardrobes are flawless, and dinner is on the floor.  Depresh Mode's John Moe joins us to dissect Don't Worry Darling, a movie that is definitely a movie. 

Then, we'll take a hotline call about directorial blank checks.

What’s Good
Alonso - Queer for Fear
Drea - Law & Order Character Drea Clark (ep: “Battle Lines”)
John - The return of Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared
Ify - Wellbutrin & Kid Cudi’s Entergalactic

ITIDIC

a). Blade Director Bassam Tariq Exits Two Months Before Production
b). Everything Everywhere All At Once Hits $70m Domestic Box Office
c). Community Movie is Finally Happening

Staff Picks
Drea - Who Invited Them (2022)
Alonso - Space Station 76 (2014)
John - Out of Sight (1998)
Ify - Midsommar (2019)

Bonus picks: Lady Macbeth (2017), Little Women (2019), Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat (1895)

The Hilarious World of Depression by John Moe (now in paperback!)

We are sponsored by OVID.tv

Visit OVID.tv and use code MAXFILM for 50% off a year of boundary-pushing international cinema. 

With:
Ify Nwadiwe
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde
John Moe

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 Montana winter isn’t the only thing ice-cold and unrelenting in God’s Country, directed by newcomer Julian Higgins and starring Thandiwe Newton. We’ve got Vulture’s TV critic and film writer Roxana Hadadi along to unpack all that this indie is bringing us. (Btw, today’s conversation is relatively spoiler-free.)

Then we’ll play a word quiz inspired by the title of this week’s movie.

What’s Good
Alonso - Hallmark’s upcoming slate, especially The Holiday Sitter
Drea - Kitchen deep clean
Roxana - newly planted White Oak tree

ITIDIC

1. Tom Hardy Quietly Entered a Local Martial Arts Tournament Last Week
2. Jon Hamm Gave Back Over Half His Salary to Extend Confess, Fletch Shoot Saoirse Ronan will lead the cast of Steve McQueen’s upcoming World War II Movie

Read the short story Winter Light

Sound of Metal is out on Criterion with an intro essay by Roxana Hadadi

Staff Picks
Drea - Athena (2022)
Alonso - Benediction (2022)
Roxana - Athena and The Battle of Algiers (1966)

Soylent
Go to Soylent.com/maxfilm and use promo code MAXFILM to get 20% OFF your first order.

With:
Alonso Duralde
Drea Clark
Roxana Hadadi

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

A lot of the fun of BARBARIAN is in the suspense of not knowing what to expect. So let’s just say: there’s this house. There are people there. And if you want to know more, see the movie, then listen to this special trio-only episode of MaxFilm! (Or, you can listen to the first segment, then skip to the last segment).

Later, we’ll play a round of ScareBnB.

What’s Good
Alonso - Sprinkles’ “La Gloria” Cupcake 
Drea - Railroad workers
Ify - Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Kringle

ITIDIC

1. Mission Impossible 8 Halted Production by a Stray Flock of Sheep
2. The People’s Joker pulled from TIFF after one screening 
3. David Harbour to Star in “Killer-Santa” movie Violent Night

Staff Picks
Drea - Do Revenge (2022)
Alonso - Confess, Fletch (2022)
Ify - Untold: The Rise and Fall of AND1 (2022) (and Don't Breathe, 2016)

MasterClass
Get unlimited access to EVERY MasterClass. For 15% off an annual membership, go to MasterClass.com/MAXFILM.

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