River Cities Reader Podcast
Live to tape interviews with Reader team members as guests on other broadcast, radio and podcast shows. Alive & Free Since 1993. The Quad Cities’ Independent Newspaper. Know More. Do More.
October 1, 2026, with Dave and Darren — “Primetime,” “Heart of the Beast,” and “Forgotten Island”
Dave Levora, Darren Pitra, and Mike Schulz discuss film and the limited number of ways one can pronounce “Anaconda.”
Scrutinized:
Primetime (dir Lance Oppenheim, starr Robert Pattinson, Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, and Phoebe Bridgers). Heart of the Beast (dir David Ayer, starr Brad Pitt, J K Simmons, Anna Lambe, and Uber). The Disney animated fantasy comedy Forgotten Island (irs. Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, voice H E R [aka Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson], Liza Soberano, Dave Franco, Jenny Slate, Manny Jacinto, Dolly de Leon, Jo Koy, Ronny Chieng, Kevin McCann, and Lea Salonga).To be s...
September 24, 2026, with Dave and Darren — “Resident Evil,” “The Weight,” and “Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom”
Dave Levora, Darren Pitra, and Mike Schulz talk film and wonder aloud what will happen when super-hero films become a ruinous investment for the movie studios.
Under present scrutinization:
The Resident Evil reboot (dir Zach Cregger, starr Austin Abrams, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, Johnno Wilson, and Paul Walter Hauser). The Weight (dir Padraic McKinley, starr Ethan Hawke, Russell Crowe, Julia Jones, Austin Amelio, Avi Nash, Lucas Lynggaad Tonnesen, George Burgess, Cameron Brady, Avy Berry, Alec Newman, and Sam Hazeldine). The stop-motion animated comedy horror Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom (dirs Steve...September 17, 2026, with Dave and Darren — “Practical Magic 2,” “The Uprising,” “Runner,” and “Hope”
Dave Levora, Darren Pitra, and Mike Schulz talk film and the demerits (considerable) and merits (nugatory) of Oasis.
Under present scrutinization:
Practical Magic 2 (dir Susanne Bier, starr Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Dianne Wiest, Stockard Channing, Joey King, Lee Pace, Maisie Williams, and Xolo Maridueña). The Runner (dir Kevin Macdonald, starr Gal Gadot, Damian Lewis, and Alfred Enoch). The Uprising (dir Paul Greengrass, starr Andrew Garfield, Jamie Bell, Stephen Dillane, Tom Hollander, Cosmo Jarvis, Thomasin McKenzie, Jonny Lee Miller, Woody Norman, and Katherine Waterston). Hope (dir Na Hong-jin, starr Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Jung H...September 10, 2026, with Dave and Darren — “By Any Means,” “Onslaught,” “Fall 2: Deadpoint,” and “Mother Mary”
Dave Levora, Darren Pitra, and Mike Schulz talk film and the launch of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 reboot. Score!
Under scrutiny:
By Any Means (dir Elegance Bratton, starr Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Mark Wahlberg, Nicole Beharie, Josh Lucas, LisaGay Hamilton, LaChanze, Ethan Embry, David Strathairn, and Giancarlo Esposito). Onslaught (dir Adam Wingard, starr Adria Arjona, Dan Stevens, Eric Wareheim, Reginald VelJohnson, Michael Biehn, Alex Pereira, Drew Starkey, and Rebecca Hall). Fall 2: Deadpoint (dirs Peter and Michael Spierig, starr Harriet Slater, Arsema Thomas, Tom Brittney, and Grace Caroline Currey).Under future scrutiny:
Practical Magic 2 (di...September 3, 2026, with Dave and Darren — “Coyote vs Acme,” “It Ends,” “Buddy,” “The Dog Stars,” and “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma”
Dave Levora, Darren Pitra, and Mike Schulz talk film and the latest of Mark Wahlberg’s crimes against humanity.
Under review:
Coyote vs Acme (dir Dave Green, starr Will Forte, Lana Condor, Tone Bell, Luis Guzmán, Martha Kelly, P J Byrne, Kenneth Choi, and John Cena; voice Eric Bauza, Candi Milo, and Jim Cummings). It Ends (dir Alexander Ullom, starr Phinehas Yoon, Akira Jackson, Noah Toth, and Mitchell Cole). Buddy (dir Casper Kelly, starr Cristin Milioti, Delaney Quinn, Patton Oswalt, Michael Shannon, Topher Grace, and Keegan-Michael Key). The Dog Stars (dir Ridley Scott, sta...August 27, 2026, with Dave and Darren — “Insidious: Out of the Further,” “Tony,” “The Magic Faraway Tree,” “Mutiny,” and “Spa Weekend”
Dave Levora, Darren Pitra, and Mike Schulz talk film and the unmissability of Buddy.
Reviewed:
Insidious: Out of the Further (dir Jacob Chase, starr Amelia Eve, Brandon Perea, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, and Lin Shaye). Tony (dir Matt Johnson, starr Dominic Sessa as Bourdain, Emilia Jones, Dagmara Domińczyk, Rich Sommer, Stavros Halkias, Leo Woodall, and Antonio Banderas). The Magic Faraway Tree (dir Ben Gregor, starr Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, Nonso Anozie, Nicola Coughlan, Jessica Gunning, Jennifer Saunders, and Rebecca Ferguson). Mutiny (dir Jean-François Richet, starr Jason Statham, Annabelle Wallis, Adrian Lester, Jason Wong, Roland Mø...August 20, 2026, with Dave and Darren — “The End of Oak Street,” “The Brink of War,” “Nimrods,” and “The Last House”
Dave Levora, Darren Pitra, and Mike Schulz talk film and the ungodly plethora of previews.
In theatres now:
The End of Oak Street (dir David Robert Mitchell, starr Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, Maisy Stella, and Christian Convery). The Brink of War (dir Michael Russell Gunn, starr Jeff Daniels, Jared Harris, J K Simmons, Hope Davis, Branka Katić, Aya Cash, Guy Burnet, John Ross Bowie, Adrian Rawlins, and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson). Nimrods (dir Lee Kirk, starr Mason Thames, Kylr Coffman, Ryan Foust, Jenna Fischer, Angela Kinsey, Fred Armisen, Bobby Lee, Jolene Keen Ruffalo, Ign...August 13, 2026, with Dave and Darren — “One Night Only,” “I Want Your Sex,” and “Ice Cream Man”
Dave Levora, Darren Pitra, and Mike Schulz talk film and the odd bluegrass musician.
Under review:
One Night Only (dir Will Gluck, starr Monica Barbaro, Callum Turner, Maya Hawke, Julia Fox, Molly Ringwald, LeVar Burton, Okieriete Onaodowan, Este Haim, Ziwe, King Princess, Ben Marshall, Nicholas Braun, Quintessa Swindell, Michelle Hurd, Charlie Gillespie, Kam Patterson, Pete Davidson, Bobby Canavale, and Jay Ellis). I Want Your Sex (dir Gregg Araki, starr Olivia Wilde, Cooper Hoffman, Mason Gooding, Chase Sui Wonders, Johnny Knoxville, Margaret Cho, Roxane Mesquida, Charli XCX, and Daveed Diggs). Ice Cream Man (dir Eli...August 6, 2026, with Dave and Darren — “Spider-Man: Brand New Day”
Dave Levora, Darren Pitra, and Mike Schulz talk film, which this week entails Spider-Man: Brand New Day. But not to worry: The previews promise us films other than Spider-Man: Brand New Day!
Speaking of:
Spider-Man: Brand New Day (dir Destin Daniel Cretton, starr Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Florence Pugh, Tramell Tillman, Marisa Tomei, and Mark Ruffalo).The previews:
One Night Only (dir Will Gluck, starr Monica Barbaro, Callum Turner, Maya Hawke, Julia Fox, Molly Ringwald, LeVar Burton, Okieriete Onaodowan, Este Haim, Ziwe, King Princess, Ben Marshall, Nicholas...July 30, 2026, with Dave and Darren — “Motor City,” “Hadestown: The Musical,” and “Her Private Hell”
Dave Levora, Darren Pitra, and Mike Schulz talk film and advise Spider-Haters against going out this weekend.
What’s in theatre:
Hadestown: The Musical (dir Brett Sullivan, starr Reeve Carney, André De Shields, Amber Gray, Eva Noblezada, Patrick Page, Bella Brown, Madeline Charlemagne, and Allie Daniel). Motor City (dir Potsy Ponciroli, starr Alan Ritchson, Ben Foster, Pablo Schreiber, Lionel Boyce, and Shailene Woodley). Her Private Hell (dir Nicolas Winding Refn, starr Sophie Thatcher, Charles Melton, Havana Rose Liu, Kristine Froseth, Shioli Kutsuna, Aoi Yamada, Dougray Scott, Diego Calva, and Hidetoshi Nishijima).What’s comin...
July 23, 2026, with Dave and Darren — “The Odyssey”
Dave Levora, Darren Pitra, and Mike Schulz talk film and there’s only one film, really, to discuss. The rest is preview.
That film:
The Odyssey (dir Christopher Nolan, starr Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Samantha Morton, John Bernthal, Zendaya, Eliot Page, Mia Goth, John Leguizamo, Bennie Safdie, and Charlize Theron).The others:
Hadestown: The Musical (dir Brett Sullivan, starr Reeve Carney, André De Shields, Amber Gray, Eva Noblezada, Patrick Page, Bella Brown, Madeline Charlemagne, and Allie Daniel). Motor City (dir Potsy Ponciroli, starr Alan Ritchson, Ben F...