Now Playing Podcast Presents: The Fast and Furious Retrospective Series

Happy Death Day blew out the candles and got its wish--major profit for Blumhouse, but what will happen when the movie itself loops and begins a sequel? And how much did the trailers lie about the movie's plot? These questions and many more are answered in this episode of Now Playing Podcast!

Happy Death Day is a lighthearted whodunit slasher film, equal parts Groundhog Day, Friday the 13th, and Sixteen Candles. We follow college student Tree (Jessica Rothe) as she relives the same day again and again, always ending the same way--her murder. Is this a movie worth watching over and over again, or should it be tossed off like a bad hangover? Join the Now Playing hosts now to find out!

Harold Ramis and Bill Murray collaborated often in the ‘80s, producing beloved films like Caddyshack and Ghostbusters. Their final team-up was in 1993’s Groundhog Day. The high concept premise of a man forced to relive the same day again and again surpassed its comedic roots, and the film has become a modern-day classic. Did Ramis and Murray save the best for last? Well, rise-and-shine campers, it’s time to listen to Now Playing’s review of Groundhog Day!

The Leprechaun is back, and he's on the attack! Leprechaun Returns is a new film rebooting franchise continuity and picking up after the events of the original 1993 Leprechaun. Intrigued? Our review comes out next month, but you can join Arnie now as he goes behind the scenes of Leprechaun Returns. Listen to these exclusive interviews with star Taylor Spreitler, new Leprechaun Linden Porco, and Leprechaun Returns' director Steven Kostanski.

Hear this interview, then head to NowPlayingPodcast.com/Donate to get all our Leprechaun movie reviews!

Tom Hardy didn’t have to drive like Mad Max to get moviegoers’ attention in 2014. Watch the method actor slip behind the wheel of indie Locke and get taken on a harrowing ride through one man’s midlife crisis. Why does a successful builder of skyscrapers throw away his career and marriage on an impromptu road trip to London? And will Arnie, Jakob, or Stuart get carsick spending all 84 minutes of the film locked in a BMW? Fasten your seat belts, crack open a cider, and become a backseat driver for this lively discussion of a one man show. Listen Now!

Now Playing is about to unleash a Biblical plague better known as Face/Off - one of the 1990’s wildest action flicks! Hong Kong export John Woo created the ultimate body swap movie when he directed lawman John Travolta to surgically remove his face, and infiltrate a maximum security prison wearing the mug of terrorist Nicolas Cage. Meanwhile the bad guy uses his captor’s discarded flesh to masquerade at work and home as the dedicated cop. Find out if this head trip is a turn/on, or a slap in the face, for Arnie, Jakob, and Stuart when you Listen Now!      

Agent 47 is back and balder than ever in a 2015 relaunch of the Hitman franchise.  Can Homeland actor Rupert Friend make a stronger impression than Timothy Olyphant as the legendary cloned assassin trades bullets with wannabe Wolverine Zachary Quinto? And can new agent Hannah Ware really be 43 times better than the boys if it takes her 43 years to locate sickly bioengineer Ciaran Hinds? Trust Justin, Stuart, and Arnie to protect listeners from head trauma as they navigate another treacherous video game adaptation. Listen now!

Justin, Arnie, and Stuart use the 42nd installment of the Now Playing Arcade to celebrate being 47… that is, video game Hitman: Codename 47. Die Hard 4 villain Timothy Olyphant hoped to make a killing at the box office when he suited up to play this mysterious baldie with a barcode back in Thanksgiving 2007.  But can his follically-challenged assassin deliver enough carnage and believable romantic chemistry with beautiful Russian target Olga Kurylenko to satisfy audiences not holding a joystick?  Find out when you slip on some headphones and Listen Now.

The Last Knight left many Transformers fans feeling stung, but Hasbro hopes to reawaken nostalgia for the 1980s toy line with their retro-minded solo film Bumblebee. Can the lovable VW bug connect with a grieving gearhead teenager (Hailee Steinfeld) using only a car radio to speak? And will Sector 7 jarhead John Cena, or Decepticons Shatter (Angela Bassett) and Dropkick (Justin Theroux), undermine the Autobot plot to relocate to Earth? Don’t take this high dive back into dicey waters alone.  Roll out with Jerry, Arnie, and Stuart. Listen Now!