Across the Movie Aisle

On this week’s episode, we looked at Netflix’s big shakeups. Why is the world’s biggest streaming service in chaos? Then we reviewed Fjord, the Palme d’Or winner that makes the case that modernity is bad, actually. (Or does it?) Make sure to swing by this spot on Thursday for our bonus episode. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, the gang asks what it means that Musk’s advertising account got banned by TikTok. Then they review You Can See Everything, a documentary that upends the whole notion of documentaries. Make sure to leave suggestions for our listener-assigned episode in the chat! And feel free to get a conversation going in the comments here. This one is a talker, folks.

On this week’s episode, we have some light and cheery conversation about livestreaming executions. Then we review The Social Reckoning, Aaron Sorkin’s follow up to The Social Network. Make sure to swing by this here website on Thursday for our bonus episode: The Trial of Aaron Sorkin. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, the gang offers up their services in Pope Leo’s Butlerian Jihad, a sentence that makes total sense in context. Then they review Digger, a movie that sparked one of the fiercest conversations we’ve ever had. It’s a bonkers, divisive provocation, and we responded in kind. Make sure to swing by Thursday for our Tom Cruise bonus episode. And if you want to nominate something for the assigned viewing bonus episode mentioned at the top of this show, leave it in a comment or bring it to the chat. We’ll pick nominees in a week...

On this week’s episode, we broke down the Paramount-Skydance/Warner Bros. Discovery merger, which seems to have cleared its final hurdle following the settling of the state AGs’ antitrust lawsuit. Then we reviewed Primetime, Lance Oppenheim’s riveting look at the rise and fall of Chris Hansen and his pervert-hunting news program. Make sure to swing by on Thursday for our bonus episode, where we’re going to be talking about lesbian bars and cultural bubbles. And if you enjoyed this show, let us know in the comments! The comments section is fun. Hit like and all that jazz too. Got...

On this week’s episode, we discussed whether or not the decision to make Aslan a David Bowie-influenced lion voiced by Meryl Streep in a musical based on The Magician’s Nephew was a controversy or a nontroversy. Then we reviewed Resident Evil, which overperformed at the box office and earned raves from critics. It’s a movie made for gamers, which has its pluses … and its minuses. 

If you disagree and think there’s a better video game movie, leave your choice in the comments!

We’ve got a real treat for you today, folks: Richard Kelly—the director of Donnie Darko, Southland Tales, and The Box—joined us to discuss Donnie Darko’s 25th anniversary rerelease by Fathom Entertainment and Saga Arts. And, as a bonus, we got a bunch of insights into his sequel novel, which is coming out on December 15. Plus: some Southland Tales chat!

First things first: Get your tickets for the 25th anniversary showings of Donnie Darko today. It’s playing on October 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, likely in an AMC or a Cinemark near you.

Second t...

On this week’s episode, we discussed David Ellison’s threat to flee California if Rob Bonta doesn’t wrap up his antitrust suit and the effort to secure federal production subsidies for movie studios. Then we reviewed Practical Magic 2, a terrible film. You guys are going to love this week’s bonus episode! Make sure to sign up now so you can get it delivered right to your inbox!

On this week’s episode, we debate this essay by Alison Pill on the perils of child acting. Is it possible to do professionally in an ethical way? Then we review Mayday, the new film from the guys who made the recent Dungeons and Dragons movie that everyone loved. Is this any good? Does it have just a tad too much Ryan Reynolds? We discuss! Make sure to swing by Thursday for our bonus episode on Cars at 20 (and all the kids under the age of 8 who still love it) and on Friday for our bonus episode on Sugar, the Ap...

Hey, before we get started, a technical note: Due to a weird recording hiccup, Alyssa’s voice is slightly out of sync. I’ve gotten it as close as I can, but it’s … still not right. Sorry! Maybe just minimize the window and listen to this one. Or subscribe to your private ad-free RSS feed and get it straight to your favorite podcast app! 

The episode itself is pretty good, though! We discussed why Dolly Parton and Tim Curry were so beloved and free from culture war nonsense. Then we reviewed The Dog Stars. WARNING: Lots of spoile...

On this week’s episode, we discuss the crazy lengths Warner Bros. is going to to keep spoilers for the new show Lanterns under wraps. Then we review Tony, the new biopic about Anthony Bourdain! Is it as good as Kitchen Confidential … or maybe better? Make sure to swing by on Thursday for our bonus episode on memoirs. Our next book club is, hopefully, starting this weekend; we’re discussing A Sudden Flicker of Light: A Revisionist History of Movies. Make sure to sign up so you can comment along with us about the first seven chapters! And share this episod...

On this week’s episode we ask if dog peril should join the ranks of considerations for a Restricted rating from the MPA. Then we review The End of Oak Street, a movie with some dog peril that nevertheless earned a PG-13 rating. Make sure to swing by on Thursday for our bonus episode on Anne Hathaway. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

This week we reviewed One Night Only (elevator pitch: What if extramarital sex were only legal for one night?), a movie that has been somewhat unfairly maligned by film critics, and discussed director Will Gluck’s feelings about audience discomfort with nudity. It’s a brave new world, folks, we’re just living in it. 

Hey, Sonny here: many thanks to Peter and Alyssa for banging this out without me. I’m on vacation this week, and despite planning to tape from my hotel room, things just didn’t quite work out. (Hotel wifi: Not always the most reliable!)

But I’ve listened to the whole thing and edited it and they did a very nice job! I probably liked Spider-Man: Brand New Day a bit more than either of them (it’s unironically the best film about male friendship I’ve seen in years, maybe a decade), but I’m biased. We’ll be bac...

On this week’s episode, we tried to figure out what’s happening next in the P-Sky/WBD deal. Spoiler: No idea! Then we picked our five favorite movies of the first half of 2026. Much to discuss!

The Odyssey is here! One of the most-anticipated films in Across the Movie Aisle history. Spoiler: We all liked it. But did we like it unreservedly enough? That’s the question on this week’s super-sized episode. 

On this week’s episode, we discuss Netflix’s declining engagement stats. Should the streaming giant panic? And then we review The Invite, a movie that asks uncomfortable questions in hilariously provocative ways. Make sure to swing by for our bonus episode on Thursday wrapping up our Odyssey Book Club. (Almost.) And if you have thoughts about Sam Neill, head over to the chat and share them! 

On this week’s episode, we discuss Seth Rogen’s slanderous take on Sylvester Stallone and his thoughts on criticism more broadly. Then we reviewed Minions and Monsters, which is basically “Babylon with less cocaine and more little yellow guys.” Swing by our Substack on Thursday for a bonus episode on the silent era’s best movies for kids. And if you enjoyed this, please share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, we discuss A24 and Google’s deal for the major indie to institute AI processes in their filmmaking. Then we review Supergirl, a movie that works on virtually no levels. You are NOT going to want to miss our July 4th bonus episode on Independence Day. And if you enjoyed this episode, we hope you share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, we discuss the startling news that Amazon-MGM has decided to bail on distributing Luca Guadagnino’s forthcoming film about Sam Altman and OpenAI. Is this simply a matter of reconciling conflicts of interest, or is something more dastardly involved? Then they review Toy Story 5: The One With Screens. Does it live up to its predecessors? Or is it something to be half-watched on a tablet while folding socks? Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Thursday for our special bonus episode on the best animated featuers of the 21st century. And if you enjoyed this epis...

On this week’s episode, Sonny, Peter, and Alyssa debate the ethics of writing bogus reviews to scam the futures markets. Then they review Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day, which is kind of a mess. Make sure to watch Widow’s Bay; we’re going to be discussing it for a special bonus TV episode later in the week! And we’ll have a bonus episode in which we determine the greatest Spielberg run. So much content for you! Yell at us in the comments if we were too mean to Disclosure Day, we might have been. We’re mean because we l...

A programming note: As mentioned in this episode, we are going to add a monthly bonus episode for paid members dedicated to TV shows. First up: Widow’s Bay, which wraps up its first season June 17. We’ll talk the whole first season of Apple TV’s buzzy new show for an episode that should post that weekend (the 20th or 21st), depending on our own schedules! 

As for this week’s episode: We discussed Dan Lin’s plans for Netflix on the heels of his statement to the New York Times that Netflix is out of the theatri...

On this week’s episode, we dive into a VERY exciting week at the box office. What does it mean that Backrooms and Obsession both may well end up outgrossing The Mandalorian and Grogu. Maybe nothing. But maybe a lot! And then we review Backrooms, which is about to become the highest-grossing-film ever released by A24 in just five days. On Thursday we’re going to chat about Tilly Norwood, who promises not to murder all of us in our sleep. If you want to hear that one, though, you’ll need to be a subscriber, so sign up now!

On this week’s episode, we asked what on Earth Paul Schrader is doing getting dumped by an AI girlfriend. Then they reviewed The Mandalorian and Grogu, a movie that is nominally set in the Star Wars universe and has Star Wars-like elements but feels somewhat … lacking … for those of us with a long-term relationship to the series. But did Sonny’s kids love it? And is that all that really matters? You’ll want to listen to this week’s episode ahead of our bonus episode, which contains the definitive ranking of all Star Wars live-action theatrical movies. That episode is r...

On this week’s episode, we went long on the silly kerfuffle surrounding the casting of The Odyssey. From Helen to Achilles (or possibly Elpenor, or maybe Tiresias), no casting choice is safe from Elon Musk and his crack investigators. Then we review In the Grey, a movie that’s only really meant for Guy Ritchie completists … and maybe not even most of them. Make sure to swing by Thursday for our bonus episode on the death of American cool. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, we bid adieu to films for one segment and discussed the least-probable game show of all time: Wordle! It’ll likely raise an ocean of viewers … but will it be great? Then we talked The Sheep Detectives, a delightful talking animal movie. Sure, it’s nice: but is it any good? We’ll let you know. Make sure to swing by Thursday for our bonus episode on Mortal Kombat II. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, we ask if $50 is a reasonable price to pay for a single 70mm IMAX movie ticket. Then we review The Devil Wears Prada 2, a rather generic movie about journalism. Make sure to swing by Thursday for our bonus episode previewing the summer releases. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, we take a sideways look into the sexual harassment suit filed against Mr. Beast. (That’s right: It’s a cons and nons pulled from the chat! It’s only for members, so sign up now if you want to help influence the show!)

Then we review Michael. Sure, it’s dramatically inert, and yes, it whitewashes many of the potentially criminal activities Michael Jackson engaged in with children, but at least it also makes his music kind of boring! It’s a fairly savage review portion of the show. Not gonna lie. If you...

On this week’s episode the gang tackles Sharon Waxman’s piece on David Zaslav and asks if he’s the problem with Hollywood … or its inevitable result? Then they review Steven Soderbergh and Ed Solomon’s new film about authenticity in art, The Christophers. Soderbergh is on a pretty amazing run since the foundation of this podcast, and we will be here for everything he does … but is this one for completists only? (Spoiler: no.) Make sure to swing by Thursday for our bonus episode on the world of art. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, Alyssa is on vacation so Sonny and Peter talked about smoking cigarettes and getting cancelled. (No, seriously: It’s cool to smoke again, maybe, and Outcome is Jonah Hill’s attempt to reckon with getting soft-canceled for entirely silly reasons.) Make sure to swing by Thursday for our bonus episode on Exit 8. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!

We’ve got a special bonus bonus episode this week with a special guest: Mike Pesca, of The Gist! You can check out Mike’s Substack here, including his famed “Asshole Tracker” for The Pitt, which is the subject of this week’s bonus bonus episode. Mike and I both love the show, though we have some nitpicks. (Peter’s only watched a couple of episodes; he just likes hanging out and talking about movies and TV shows with friends.) Anyway, this is a fun one, a little spicy, it’ll be available for subscribers only until Friday afternoon, I think. Give th...

On this week’s episode, we talked a bit about video game movies (tied loosely to this New York Times piece on the genre’s successes and struggles) and then dove into The Drama, the new Robert Pattinson/Zendaya film from A24. It’s a fun movie to talk about! We honestly only scratched the surface. If you have more thoughts, leave them in the comments!

On this week’s episode, we talk about Sora pulling the plug on its AI video division. What does that mean for the industry? Are movies simply too small for AI to waste compute on? Then we review The Housemaid, a movie that rests somewhere in the liminal space between enjoyable trash and outright garbage. Which way do we come down on it? You’ll have to listen to find out!

On this week’s episode, we discuss the killing of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot, which was unexpectedly spiked by Hulu after several months of dawdling. Then we reviewed Project Hail Mary, a movie Peter describes as “preposterously charming.” Is it that good? Listen to find out! And if you loved the movie, discuss with your fellow listeners (and your humble podcasters!) in the comments!

Sonny here. So, as I mentioned at the top of this episode—and as I warned you last week—this week is kind of a nightmare for all of us. Lots going on: I was out of the country; Alyssa was starting a new job; Peter was on the West Coast. So it took us an extra day to coordinate this. But here it is, nearly an hour long … for paying subscribers. The free listeners get the first 45 minutes or so; I had to leave a little something extra for the paying folks, you know? 

Anyway, we hope yo...

On this week’s episode, I’m very pleased to be rejoined by Kevin Goetz, who is the guru of movie testing to discuss his latest book, How to Score in Hollywood. When you spend nine figures on a film and another eight figures marketing it, you want to know what works for audiences and what doesn’t, and Kevin’s the guy who can help you do that. He believes that nearly every movie—if it’s made for the right price and marketed to the right people—should be able to make money, and he’s happy to explain how his...

On this week’s episode, we discuss the silly kerfuffle surrounding Timothee Chalamet’s statement that he hopes movies don’t become a niche entertainment like opera and ballet. Then we review The Bride!, a movie that might force us to create a Madame Web Scale to fully comprehend its badness. Make sure to swing by movieaisle.substack.com on Thursday for our bonus episode. And if you enjoyed this one, please share it with a friend!

On this Tuesday’s episode, the gang discusses the merger of WB and Paramount Skydance. What does it mean for jobs, consumers, and … Batman? Then they review Scream 7. Alyssa’s never seen one of these movies: does she care for it? More importantly: Does she have ANY idea what’s going on? The answer probably won’t shock you! Make sure to swing by movieaisle.substack.com on Thursday for our bonus episode on horny fanfic. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend.

On this week’s episode, the gang takes a look at this op-ed from former Sony head Michael Lynton and tries to figure out why Barack Obama suggested Sony was to blame for its own hack back in 2014. Then they review Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die. Is it the anti-AI parable we need right now? Or a mushily meatphored bit of non-AI slop? Make sure to swing by movieaisle.substack.com on Thursday for a bonus episode on the season finale of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with...

Pretty spicy episode this week, as we dive into how much trouble folks should be in simply for emailing associates of Jeffrey Epstein back in 2003. Then we review Emerald Fennell’s new adaptation of Wuthering Heights. Or “adaptation” of “Wuthering Heights,” as the studio insists we refer to it as. Make sure to swing by Thursday for our bonus episode on The Odyssey Book Club! And if you live in Michigan, make sure to check out our guy Jake VK’s movie, which is playing at Cinema Carousel in Muskegon, MI, on February 27 and 28 and March 1. It’ll be fun!