Movie Schmovie

Ron, Steve, and John are looking for nice vacation spots and have narrowed it down to three choices: A remote quarry in the English countryside, New York City, or Barbieland. As research, they watched UK “hoodie horror” nail-biter Eden Lake (2008), Apple TV+’s adaptation of Victor LaValle’s wild, scary, and emotional novel The Changeling, and an obscure little movie you probably haven’t heard of called “Barbie.” Listen in to find out where the guys end up.

Ron, Steve, and John are on a bit of a summer break but had time to squeeze in a quick one. DC's latest superhero origin story, Blue Beetle, is discussed, as is Dracula prequel The Last Voyage of the Demeter, both of which only Steve has seen. (Literally, Steve is the ONLY person in the world who saw these films.)

This week’s Required Viewing selection is Sidney Lumet’s intense, dialogue-driven police thriller, The Offence, in which Sean Connery portrays a dangerous, broken version of the usual hero detective. Then the guys take a look at the long, diverse career of the late, great William Friedkin before running down a smattering of recent things they’ve seen, including Apple TV+’s The Beanie Bubble. 

This week, the heroes of the half-pod you know as Ron, Steve, and John are here to discuss movies new and old, as well as pay homage to the great Paul Ruebens, who died this past week at the age of 70.

Ron, Steve, and John discuss Dead Reckoning Part One, the latest pulse-pounding entry in the Mission Impossible franchise, as well as Oppenheimer, the latest pulse-pounding entry in the Christopher Nolan franchise. They also look back on Ridley Scott’s stylish and blunt 1989 police thriller, Black Rain.

Ron, Steve, and John bring it home this week for an expanded chat about the TV shows they’ve been watching. The Bear, Silo, Jury Duty, Secret Invasion, and more are all covered, as well as the finale of Ted Lasso and a few “trashy” lowbrow picks. It’s a very special episode. Take a pee break, grab some snacks, and settle in.

Are you more in the mood for action or adventure? Thrills or spills? Explosions or the methodical deciphering of an ancient code in order to solve a puzzle and find a rare and possibly powerful thing? This week, Ron, Steve, and John have covered all those bases, as they’re discussing 1993’s meta-comedic Schwarzenegger flick Last Action Hero, and the brand-new entry in the (mostly) esteemed Indiana Jones series, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. This podcast belongs in a museum!

Ron, Steve, and John make comforting little clicking noises as they message you their feelings about Blackberry, the latest example of the recent cinematic trend of exploring the origin of a product or brand. Then they also talk about all the other things mentioned in the title. Keeping this short because texts cost 10 cents! ttyl

Ron, Steve, and John do a quick catchup round, sharing thoughts on a few recent releases: The Boogeyman, Beau is Afraid, Flamin’ Hot, Asteroid City, and The Blackening. 

As the DCEU winds down with the release of the new universe-hopping adventure The Flash, directed by Andy Muschietti, Ron, Steve, and John take a comprehensive look at the whole 14-film franchise by ranking away on their first-ever Tier List.