Movie Schmovie

Ron, Steve, and John put on their tennis shoes and tiptoe around to live up to the title of this week’s Required Viewing pick, the cozy tech heist caper Sneakers. Then Ron and Steve make a quick trip to OZ for their thoughts on the hotly-anticipated (and oddly divisive) Wicked: For Good.

Ron, Steve, and John got to see an advance screening of Edgar Wright’s re-adaptation of Stephen King’s 1982 novella, The Running Man! And in this special .5 episode, they meet up in John’s car for a post-movie conversation that touches on the strengths and weaknesses of the film, Glenn Powell’s star power, and how this take differs from the 1987 Schwarzenegger-led version.

After snacking on a couple recent news tidbits, the guys ride along with the beleaguered paramedic protagonists of Steve’s Required Viewing pick, Code 3. Then it’s an update on the third episode of Welcome to Derry and a few thoughts from John regarding Guillermo Del Toro’s passion project out on Netflix today—a very personal take on Frankenstein.

Ron’s Required Viewing pick is Good Boy, a new horror film that focuses on a dog’s point of view, starring a lovable canine actor who deserves all the treats. After that topic, it’s time to check back in on the supremely messed-up happenings in Stephen King’s Derry, Maine, followed by a brief rundown of other stuff the guys have watched.

The guys tunnel down to the underground city of Midian to check in on Clive Barker’s Director’s Cut of his dark fantasy epic from 1990, Nightbreed, and then follow the usual format of rattling off thoughts on whatever else they’ve watched, including Ron’s take on Tron: Ares and John’s spoiler-free look at the debut episode of HBO Max’s IT prequel series, Welcome to Derry.

In addition to Steve’s disturbing Required Viewing pick—the bleak and gory Bring Her Back—the guys run through a few recent things they’ve seen, and Ron gets physical with another 4K purchase.

Director Satoshi Kon’s last film was the mind-bending, beautifully animated Paprika, and it gets a lot of love from the guys in this week’s Required Viewing segment, which is sadly not the way it goes for another film: Him (in theaters now), directed by Justin Tipping. Rounding out the show, John shares thoughts on the season two opener of Gen V, and Steve takes us on a stroll with The Long Walk.

It’s time for another Corn Beef Hash! Aka Ron’s perfectly logical term for an episode where the guys do Required Viewing and then a round of whatever else they watched, without a real plan. Find out in real time who saw what! But don’t expect a full explanation of the hash thing.

The guys discuss Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 classic, High and Low, which is Ron’s Required Viewing choice, and then gab about other things they’ve watched recently, like Alien: Earth and the new HBO crime drama, Task, starring Mark Ruffalo in scruffy mode.