Now Playing -- The Movie Review Podcast

Light Cycles. Neon Frisbees. Arcade games. These are the iconic and nostalgic images that come to mind when you think of Tron, Disney's "ahead of its time" 1982 cult classic that had Jeff Bridges as a cyberspace messiah almost 20 years before Keanu Reeves as Neo. With the upcoming sequel, Tron Legacy, being released in theaters, Disney is banking on viewer nostalgia, but beyond those images how well do you remember Tron? Disney is intentionally downplaying the original film, so to ensure your memory meets all system requirements for Tron Legacy, boot up this episode of Now Playing with Arnie, Brock, and Jakob! Is Tron an unappreciated classic that audiences should replay or are our hosts just waiting for the game over screen? Listen in and find out!

He drew first blood...on the page. As we finish our series looking back at the Rambo films, novels, and novelizations, Arnie sits down with author David Morrell. Morrell wrote First Blood over a decade before Stallone portrayed the character on screen, and then Morrell returned to Rambo by novelizing the screenplays for the first two film sequels. Now the author opens up about why he chose to adapt someone else's story for his character, his thoughts on the films and the Rambo cartoon series, and how Rambo has influenced his career.

20 Years after Rambo 3 crashed at the box office like a chopper into a tank, John Rambo returned to the big screen. Stallone, still in the afterglow of his acclaimed return as Rocky Balboa, reprised his other classic role of John Rambo, and this time he's going to Burma to give you a war you won't believe. Limbs, and children, are flying in this ultra-violent action event, but is this new Rambo for the 21st Century a return to the series better days, or should we have just left Rambo in Afghanistan in the 80's? Listen to Arnie, Brock, and Jakob to find out!

Books & Nachos is now part of Now Playing Podcast. Before our book reviews were branded as Now Playing Podcast Book Reviews, they were released under a separate show called Books & Nachos. That podcast focused on book discussions, most of which tied directly into films we were covering on Now Playing. We’ve now merged those episodes into the main Now Playing Podcast feed for easier access and a complete archive. But these older episodes still have the original Books & Nachos intro and credits on those older recordings.  This week, we look at Rambo 3, written by David Morrell, author of the original Rambo novel, First Blood. The film was a financial disappointment and almost killed the Rambo film franchise, but was the book our worst literary nightmare, or could Morrell save this plotline from the torture? Listen to find out! Then come back next week as Arnie sits down with David Morrell to discuss all three Rambo novels! Also, listen to Arnie's interview with First Blood author David Morell!

After Rambo First Blood Part II blew up at the box office like napalm on a waterfall it was inevitable that Stallone would reprise the role for another outing. This time, Rambo heads to war-torn Afghanistan, teaming up with the Afghan rebels to rescue his only friend, Colonial Trautman, and liberating the country from the Russian army in the process. Is this third film as dated as the cold war or more fun than sheep-carcass polo? Listen to this week's Now Playing with Arnie, Jakob, and Brock to find out!

Books & Nachos is now part of Now Playing Podcast. Before our book reviews were branded as Now Playing Podcast Book Reviews, they were released under a separate show called Books & Nachos. That podcast focused on book discussions, most of which tied directly into films we were covering on Now Playing. We’ve now merged those episodes into the main Now Playing Podcast feed for easier access and a complete archive. But these older episodes still have the original Books & Nachos intro and credits on those older recordings.  Rambo made his first appearance in 1972 in David Morrell's novel First Blood, which was then adapted into a film. The film was a huge success, and so a sequel was made, written by James Cameron and Sylvester Stallone. As movie novelizations were big business, a novel was commissioned. None of this is shocking until you look closely at the cover--Rambo's original creator, David Morrell, returned to write the novelization of his character in a story in which he had no input. This is

In 1985 Stallone returned to theaters as Rambo. Rambo returned to Vietnam to rescue POWs. And now, Brock, Jakob, and Arnie return to Now Playing to review Rambo: First Blood Part II, and they get to win this time! Continuing our Rambo Retrospective series, we discuss all of Rambo 2, from the slimy government agent who leaves Rambo to die, to Rambo's exploding arrow heads. Was this film a welcome return to familiar territory, or was watching it like being strapped to an electrified bed frame? Listen in to find out!

Books & Nachos is now part of Now Playing Podcast. Before our book reviews were branded as Now Playing Podcast Book Reviews, they were released under a separate show called Books & Nachos. That podcast focused on book discussions, most of which tied directly into films we were covering on Now Playing. We’ve now merged those episodes into the main Now Playing Podcast feed for easier access and a complete archive. But these older episodes still have the original Books & Nachos intro and credits on those older recordings.  Now Playing Podcast is spending November reviewing all the Rambo films, so let's also look back to Rambo's origin in David Morrell's 1972 classic novel, First Blood. How does the book compare to the legend? Listen to Arnie's review to find out! Also, listen to Arnie's interview with First Blood author David Morell!  

John Rambo, as embodied by Sylvester Stallone, is arguably one of the biggest cinematic icons of the 1980s. Oscar-nominated for Rocky, Stallone's non-Rocky film career was on the ropes when Stallone signed onto this troubled production adapting David Morell's 1972 novel to film, but with a large explosion this would catapult Stallone to the action A-list and create a character that would not only endure on screen but off as well, with President Ronald Regan as one of Rambo's biggest admirers. Now join Now Playing as we watch and review these films! In our first installment we revisit the original Rambo film, First Blood. Is it the overblown, dumb action film stereotypical of the 80's or is it worthy of its place in cinematic history? Listen to Arnie, Brock, and Jakob's review to find out!

After Paranormal Activity upset Saw as the Horror King of Halloween last year, the makers of the Saw film franchise decided that the seventh installment of Saw would be the last, and to provide a new novelty they also jumped on the 3-D bandwagon. Arnie, Marjorie, and Jakob have reunited to finish their trial of reviewing the Saw films by giving more thought to Saw 3-D than the screenwriters did. Is this last piece in the Jigsaw puzzle satisfying? Listen to find out!

After Platinum Dune's Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot cut deep in the box office, another installment was inevitable, but with Leatherface left one-armed, and scene stealing R Lee Ermey's Sheriff Hoyt squashed like a Texas armadillo, where could the series go next? Platinum Dunes' answer was to make a prequel to their reboot, telling the origin story of the Hewett clan, including witnessing the birth of Leatherface, seeing how Ermey earned his sheriff's badge, and watching as the family dines for the first time on human flesh. Is this new film a tasty morsel to be savored, or just another rancid installment in a wayward horror franchise? Listen to find out!

When the fourth Texas Chainsaw Massacre was released quietly to video, it seemed Leatherface's terrorizing of Texas teens had been terminated. Only Michael Bay and his new production company Platinum Dunes gave Leatherface another look, deciding the time was right for a proper Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot, bringing us a new Leatherface, a new group of teens, and a twisted new family lead by Full Metal Jacket hard-ass R. Lee Ermey as Sheriff Hoyt. This film launched Platinum Dunes' reputation as horror rehab, a reputation that is less than stellar after their reboots of Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Was their first attempt their best? Is this Arnie, Stuart, or Brock's favorite of Platinum Dunes' reboots? Listen to find out!

Now Playing has yet another bonus mid-week episode for you: The Social Network, which held the number 1 box office spot for its first two weeks! From David Fincher (Fight Club, Seven) and Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing), this film has an impressive behind-the-scenes pedegree that Arnie, Stuart, and Marjorie all had to see and review.

For the 20th anniversary of the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre in 1994, Kim Henkel, writer of the 1974 classic, returned to write and direct the franchise's fourth installment. Starring then-unknown actors Renee Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey, this film would be shelved for years before finally being quietly shunted to VHS in 1997. But with the original writer back at the helm, is this Leatherface's return to glory, bringing terror to a new generation of horror fans? Listen to Arnie, Brock, and Stuart's review of Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation to find out!

Leatherface lurked in the corners while contemporary killers Jason and Freddy stole his spotlight, but now New Line Cinema, The House that Freddy Built, has taken Leatherface on to be their next money making slasher series! Trading in Texas locals for a Hollywood cast, including then-unknown Viggo Mortensen and horror icon Ken Foree. With this film allow Leatherface to shine as brightly as his chromed-out custom chainsaw? Listen to find out as Arnie, Brock, and Stuart review Leatherface--The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3!

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!