Across the Movie Aisle

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! 

On this week’s episode, we kicked things off by discussing Michael Schulman’s piece on efforts to use evil for good. (That is: use AI to “recreate” Orson Welles’s cut of The Magnificent Ambersons.) Then we reviewed Send Help, the new one from Sam Raimi. It’s fun and mean and meanly funny. Make sure to swing by Thursday, because we’re going to be talking about drinking and watching movies, two of our favorite things. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, the gang discusses Rose Horowitch’s piece in the Atlantic on film students who can’t watch films. (Goddamn kids, get off my lawn and into a movie theater.) Then they review the first two episode of the new Game of Thrones spinoff, Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. A GOT sitcom? What is this world coming to? (Something delightful, apparently.) You’re going to want to listen to Thursday’s episode on Melania, I think. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode we played Will-Slash-Should. It’s a fun game! Then we reviewed The Rip, a movie that is possibly about stealing from Netflix. Maybe. Fun episode this week, kind of silly as we were all getting a little stir crazy by the time we taped. All fun and no play, well, you’ll have to see what the bonus episode has to say about that.

On this week’s episode, we say farewell to Kathleen Kennedy, who had a … checkered tenure as the head of Lucasfilm. Then we review 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. It’s like 28 Years Later, but with more flaying and stoner comedy antics. (Seriously.) Make sure to swing by Thursday for even more zombie chatter! And if you enjoyed this episode, hit that like button and restack this post to your friends! 

It’s one of our favorite episodes of the year: Our top ten! Jampacked as always and extra-length as always, we bring you our top tens in this (very long) episode. Hope you enjoy! Leave your favorites of the year in the comments or in the chat!

On this week’s episode, Sonny, Peter, and Alyssa break down why Mubi’s fans are mad at Mubi and how silly it is that some of them have chosen to champion Tubi instead. (You can read the story discussed here.) Then they take turns reviewing Die My Love, Sentimental Value, and It Was Just an Accident. (Links take you to the JustWatch pages for all those films, which will help you find where to stream them on VOD.) As always, there will be some spoiler talk about those movies, so please don’t yell at us if you come across...

Hope everyone had a merry Christmas and/or a happy holidays! On this week’s episode, we pick the biggest stories of the year and/or the biggest stories of the year to come. Then we review Marty Supreme, a guy who is charming and/or a borderline sociopath. Make sure to swing by the Substack for our bonus episode on Hamnet, a movie that’s unbreably sad and/or unbearable. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, we discussed YouTube’s acquisition of the Academy Awards starting in 2029 and why it might not be quite as disastrous as everyone is making it out to be. Then we reviewed Avatar: Fire and Ash, a movie that has approximately 498% more Spider than anyone could possibly want. But at least it still looks pretty great! 

As a reminder: If you’re a paying member, you can set up a private RSS feed through Substack to get ad-free episodes delivered right to your preferred app. If you’re not a paying member, you can always si...

Just a quick programming note, combining emails so as not to kill your inbox: On Tuesday of next week we’ll be discussing Avatar: Fire and Ash. 

Sad news this week about the death of Rob Reiner. We weren’t quite sure what to do so we just talked for 20 minutes. Hopefully it helps. This bonus bonus episode is open to all because we didn’t feel right putting it behind a paywall. If you enjoyed it, please share it with a friend?

Before we start, we just wanted to say how shocked and saddened we all are by the news of Rob Reiner’s death. Sonny wrote an obit here; if you’d like, the chat is open for subscribers to discuss here. The news broke literally as we were taping this, so we couldn’t work it into this week’s episode, but we plan on taping an extra podcast at some point this week to discuss his life and legacy. Stay tuned for that.

---

We’re trying something new with this week’s episode: We have a speci...

On this week’s episode, Sonny, Peter, and Alyssa look at another side of the Netflix/WB deal, namely what will happen to HBO and WB’s more experiential events. Then they review Netflix’s big awards season play, Jay Kelly. A movie about movies: will this help Netflix win that Oscar trophy they’ve been chasing? Make sure to swing by the Substack page on Thursday for our bonus episode on Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair and his idiosyncratic top 20 list. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend! 

On this week’s episode, Sonny, Peter, and Alyssa discuss James Cameron’s interview with Matt Belloni and his take on the state of the industry. (You can listen to part one of that interview here and part two here.) Then they discuss Guillermo del Toro’s new adaptation of Frankenstein. It’s a beautiful movie, lovingly crafted and exquisitely designed … yet one that undercuts the point of the book through the characterization of the monster and a performance by Jacob Elordi that occasionally feels as though it’s channeling a classic Ben Stiller character. If you enjoyed this episode, please share...

On this week’s episode, Sonny, Peter, and Alyssa highlight all the problems with the potential buyers of Warner Bros. Then they review Wicked: For Good, a movie that fails on nearly every conceivable level. (Or maybe it doesn’t, make your case in the comments!) Make sure to swing by the site on FRIDAY, not Thursday (Happy Thanksgiving!) for our bonus episode/gift guide. Speaking of gifts: Treat yourself to something nice from the Dashery Store, we’re doing a Black Friday sale! And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend, you’re our best source o...

On this week’s episode, Sonny, Peter, and Alyssa discuss “The Anti-Cosmetic Surgery Essay Every Woman Should Read” and what it says about our own movie-centered discourse. Then they review The Running Man, Edgar Wright’s new adaptation of Stephen King’s story of a world gone mad. Make sure to swing by this-here website on Thursday for our bonus episode on whether movie stars can save movie theaters. And if you enjoyed this episode, make sure to share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, Sonny, Peter, and Alyssa debate the merits of an AI actress. Then they review Predator: Badlands, which is either a good action-comedy or a bad Predator movie. Maybe both. Who can say. We can say! On Thursday, we’re going to be revisiting the original Predator, which is streaming on Hulu and a bunch of other places. Watch it. It’s perfect! And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend. We need those shares, people! 

On this week’s episode, Sonny, Peter, and Alyssa discuss what Taylor Sheridan’s decision to leave Paramount+ for Peacock means for the streaming landscape. Then they review Bugonia, which joins Eddington, After the Hunt, and One Battle After Another as key texts for our cultural moment. If you enjoyed the episode, share it with a friend! 

Also: If you need help setting up a private RSS feed so the episodes will go directly to your Apple (or other) app, let us know and we will walk you through it. It’s slightly tricky; you have to do it from...

On this week’s episode, Sonny, Peter, and Alyssa discuss the Ellison family’s (literal) trump card in its pursuit of Warner Bros.-Discovery. Then they review A House of Dynamite, Kathryn Bigelow’s star-studded nuclear panic movie for Netflix. Sweet dreams, kiddos! Make sure to swing by movieaisle.substack.com for our bonus episode on this genius and harrowing feature piece on a niche internet subculture that … well, you’re just going to need to read about them. It’s a trip. You are definitely going to want to watch that episode on Thursday. Sonny makes some faces. Buy some merch...

A few housekeeping items: This episode is the first main episode that is available to our subscribers before anyone else. 

We have merch! Just a couple items right now, more to come, hopefully. You can see the Dashery store here. Alyssa’s wearing the shirt on the show today! It looks like a movie ticket! Because movies! BUY ONE TODAY.

OK, the episode itself. We discussed AMC finally granting Netflix some space in their multiplexes. Is this glasnost between the world’s biggest streamer and the world’s biggest theater chain? What comes after?

Then we...