Now Playing -- The Movie Review Podcast

By 1986 horror was very much in the mainstream. Freddy and Jason were exceptionally profitable franchises, and so it was put on Tobe Hooper to return to Texas and bring back Leatherface and the family for a new generation. With Poltergeist to his credit, Hooper had horror cred, and with Dennis Hopper starring along with Bill Mosely and Jim Siedow returning from the original film, Leatherface seemed poised to take his place among 80's slasher icons Jason, Freddy, and Michael Myers. But Hooper's horror-comedy vision added a new twist to the family dynamic, resulting in one of the most original installments in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre series. Were Now Playing hosts Brock, Stuart, and Arnie happy to see Hooper directing Leatherface to once again don the mask and do his chainsaw dance? Listen to find out!

In 1974 Tobe Hooper unleashed into theaters horror unlike any seen before and started the modern slasher genre with the seminal horror film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Audiences watched in terror as Sally and Franklin Hardesty and their three friends travel through a rural Texas town and pick up a hitchhiker, beginning their terrifying encounter with a crazed, cannibalistic family. It can easily be said that without Leatherface we would not have had Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, or even Freddy Krueger. Join Now Playing hosts Arnie, Brock, and Stuart as they journey with Sally and Franklin deep into the heart of Texas and review all six Texas Chainsaw Massacre films, starting with the 1974 original. It is classic horror, but does it hold up in the 21st century? Listen to find out!

The Lost Boys 2 was Warner Bros' highest selling DVD release in 2008, so it should surprise no one that Corey Feldman is again back as Edgar Frog. This time, Edgar, faced with financial problems, must take a job infiltrating a group of vampires who run underground raves, led by head vampire DJ X. With Jamison Newlander also back and touting The Return of the Frog Brothers, does this film restore The Lost Boys to its 80's glory? Listen to find out!

After 20 years and a series of aborted sequels, Lost Boys fans had pretty much given up hope on their favorite vampire saga returning to the big screen. But in 2008 a sequel finally found its way to release--The Lost Boys: The Tribe. Featuring an entirely new set of vampires in a new California town, Chris Emerson has to square off against a tribe of vampires led by Shane to save his little sister from becoming a full vampire. Direct to video sequels are rarely are as good as their theatrical origins, but could this film buck the trend by including Keifer Sutherland's half-brother as the head vampire, Corey Feldman reprising his gravely Edgar Frog voice, and a cameo from horror master Tom Savini? Listen to find out!

Before he was Jack Bauer, Kiefer Sutherland was David, the charismatic leader of a rebellious vampire tribe in Santa Carla, California in the first Lost Boys movie. When single mother Lucy Emerson moves to Santa Carla with her two sons, Michael and Sam, David's Star-crossed romance puts him squarely in David's sights. Directed by St. Elmo's Fire's Joel Schumacher, The Lost Boys quickly became a cult classic for its gore, its humor, and its sexy portrayal of vampires. But does it hold up over twenty years later? Listen to find out!

Scott Pilgrim jumps out of the comic books and onto the movie screens in Scott Pilgrim vs the World, an imaginative and fast-paced movie directed by Edgar Wright. Does this adaptation work as a movie, or does it make you wish for a game over screen? Listen in and find out!

When the X-Files series ended, Mulder was on the run, Scully quit the FBI, and aliens were still planning to take over the earth. Fans were left in suspense, but after a long period in development hell, the X-Files returned to the big screen in 2008 to provide fans with the answers to some of those questions. Eschewing the show's dense mythology and instead focusing on a brand new one-off adventure involving a psychic pedophile priest and organ transplants. Did a one-off X-File make for a more satisfying summer film than the last, and did it make believers of our Now Playing hosts? Listen to find out!

Federal buildings being bombed, FEMA plotting to overthrow the government, and extra-terrestrials plotting with The Syndicate to turn the human race into drone slaves. In the 90's, this dense mystery made up the heart of The X-Files television show, where agents Mulder and Scully investigated paranormal activities and uncovered a plot by aliens to take over the earth. With a hardcore audience of fans, in 1998 The X-Files took the leap to the big screen, hoping to appease old fans and bring in new ones. Does this work as a stand-alone film, and does raising the stakes to the big screen pay off for fans? Listen to find out!

Bursting onto the scene with Memento, Christopher Nolan has become one of the most watched genre director, breaking the box office with The Dark Knight as well as warping minds with The Prestige, so when one of this summer's biggest and most mysterious films of the summer is written and directed by Nolan, we at Now Playing take notice. With a dense plot concerning a malleable dreamworld, the film could be a revelation or an incomprehensible mess. The Now Playing crew went opening day to tell you if this is the film of your dreams or a total nightmare!

It's been 20 years since they've had their own film, but thanks to Robert Rodriguez the Predators are back on the big screen! Producer Rodriguez and director Nimrod Antal are taking the alien hunter back to his jungle roots, and with the Predators going up against Adrien Brody, Laurence Fishburne, and Danny Trejo it's bound to excite both sci-fi and action fans. But this time are the Predators right on target, or have they again missed their mark? Listen as Arnie, Stuart, and Brock review this final film in the Now Playing Predator Retrospective Series!

Paul W.S. Anderson's match-up between Aliens and Predators may have left many fans of both franchises out in the cold, but the box office tallies made a rematch inevitable--thus 20th Century Fox gives us Aliens vs Predator: Requiem. Attempting to right past wrongs, the studio made this film with a "hard R" rating, including an unrated cut on DVD, and gave the directing reins to the special effects duo, the Brothers Strause. Was the battle so much sweeter the second time around? Listen to Stuart, Arnie, and Brock to find out!

When Freddy and Jason's team-up killed at the box office, it didn't take long for 20th Century Fox to greenlight another long-anticipated cinematic crossover--Alien vs. Predator. Having already fought on the pages of comic books and in video games, these two classic extra terrestrials took their battle to the big screen, continuing an ancient Predator coming-of-age ritual in Antarctica, with a group of humans, including Charles Bishop Weyland played by Lance Henriksen, in the middle. Was this another dream team-up for fans of both franchises, or a monster mash-up gone horribly awry? Listen to Arnie, Brock, and Stuart's review to find out!

Remember 1997 when the Jamaican gangs were terrorizing Los Angeles and everyone was carrying guns in the 105 degree heat? Well you can relive those days along with Arnie, Stuart, and Brock as they review the period piece--Predator 2! In that summer of 1997 a Predator came to Los Angeles on a hunt for the toughest in Los Angeles, and it only makes sense that he would pick Danny Glover as the alpha male for him to best. With an all-star cast including Bill Paxton and Gary Busey, Predator 2 is not a film to be missed! Or is it...? Listen to Now Playing to find out!

An invisible alien Predator hunts a team of suppercommandos in a Central American jungle, and it must be some hunter to take on Carl Weathers, Bill duke, Richard Chaves, Jesse Ventura, and Arnold Schwarzenegger! This film introduced a new sci-fi staple into our cultural lexicon, a creature that has gone on to appear in tons of comic books, video games, and a crossover movie franchise, but was this original entry worthy of such a legacy? Listen to find out!

Over 25 years after Daniel-san first craned kicked his way into movie history comes this remake of The Karate Kid, starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan. Shot on location in China and featuring Kung Fu instead of Karate, this reboot of the franchise hopes to pack the same punch with a new generation of moviegoers. Does this retelling of the story for modern audiences have the same heart that makes the original the classic it is today, or is this just another Hollywood remake that misses the point? Listen in and find out!

Arnie interviews Heather Langenkamp about the Nightmare on Elm Street documentary Never Sleep Again! And as a bonus, we have a never-before released interview with Robert Englund!

In 1994 The Karate Kid tried to be the comeback kid in this soft rebooting of the series. Gone is the aging protagonist played by Ralph Macchio, and he has been replaced by future Academy Award winning actress Hilary Swank in her first starring role. And back is Mr. Miyagi with his wisdom and unlikely training methods. This film failed to catch on in theaters, but with a new reboot of The Karate Kid coming out next week was The Next Karate Kid an unappreciated classic? Listen in and find out!

Three years after the release of The Karate Kid Part II, Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Miyagi were back in California, and in theaters with the aptly named The Karate Kid Part III. Now Daniel must defend his Karate title against "Karate's Bad Boy" Mike Barnes, and when Mr. Miyagi refuses to help him train Daniel turns to toxic waste dumper Terry Silver for help. With a subplot involving Mr. Miyagi's Little Trees, this film has been generally panned by critics. But is this movie as bad as everyone remembers? Listen in and find out!

In 1984 The Karate Kid crane-kicked the box office, and it didn't take Mr. Miyagi to realize a sequel would be fast-tracked. Released in the summer of 1986, The Karate Kid Part II took Daniel LaRusso from California to Okinawa, Mr. Miyagi faces his former rival Sato, and Peter Cetera delivers a theme song that still monopolizes light-rock radio the world over. The sequel grossed even more than the original, but does that make The Karate Kid Part II the better film? Listen in and find out!

Warning: This podcast deals with subject matter that will be objectionable to the vast majority of listeners. No one under the age of 18 should listen, and those over the age of 18 should listen with caution. It's the underground horror hit of the year--The Human Centipede. Playing only at midnight showings in select theaters as well as On Demand, this film's content promises to be one of the raunchiest horror films ever. With the tagline "100% Medically Accurate" you know you're in for something more than your standard slasher, but how extreme is this film and, more to the point, is it any good? Stuart, Arnie, and Marjorie have watched this film and review every gross detail in this podcast.