Al Pacino caps a career playing gangsters by taking on the role of legendary labor union boss Jimmy Hoffa. Robert DeNiro co-stars as The Irishman who knows why the mob-connected Teamster famously went missing back in 1975. Does the disappearance have something to do with Hoffa ordering the hit on JFK?  Or did Jimmy’s bluster make goodfellas Joe Pesci and Harvey Keitel “more than a little concerned”? Donate now to find out!

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Marvel’s Avengers film upped audience expectations by bringing four solo cinematic superheroes together for one explosive adventure. Now Fox tries to go one better by bringing two entire superteams together! The catch: they’re both the X-Men. In X-Men: Days of Future Past the original X-Men and the First Class cast share the screen with a dozen new mutants to try and save their species from annihilation at the hands of giant robot sentinels. Does this giant cast lead to X-treme confusion or, in the hands of returning director Bryan Singer is this X-ceptional entertainment? Listen to Now Playing Podcast’s review to find out!

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Anthology and horror have a long history together in comics, television, and film, with a heyday in the 80s with such films as The Twilight Zone, Nightmares, Cat’s Eye, and the Creepshow films. But in 2007, Michael Dougherty made the most high profile horror anthology in over a decade with Trick ‘R’ Treat. Starring Sam, a character from Dougherty’s animated short, as the sprit of Halloween, this film has plenty of recognizable stars and a high profile producer, but was unable to secure a wide theatrical release and ended up becoming a cult hit on home video. Now, due to listener demand, Arnie, Stuart, and Brock give their review of this underground favorite. Did they find it a treat? Listen to find out!

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With Bryan Singer graduating from Mutant High to direct Superman Returns, and much of the original creative team gone, Brett Ratner (Rush Hour) stepped in to close out the mutant trilogy with X-Men: The Last Stand. The long-foreshadowed conflict finally explodes when a “cure” for mutation is announced, splitting the mutant community and forcing Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellan) into open war. The film swings for epic, tackling the Dark Phoenix storyline while juggling an expanding ensemble. It’s also one of the most divisive entries in the franchise, with fans split over its choices and casualties. Join Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob as they revisit the trilogy’s conclusion and decide whether The Last Stand earns its place in the saga or buckles under its own ambition.

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Three years after X-Men helped redefine superhero cinema, the mutants return with a bigger budget and new enemies. X2: X-Men United brings back Professor X (Patrick Stewart), Magneto (Ian McKellen), and the original cast, but does the focus on Wolverine’s mysterious background overshadow the team?  Join Arnie, Jakob, and Stuart as they break down Bryan Singer’s follow-up and decide whether X2 is the rare superhero sequel that improves on the original, or just a case of mutant overload.

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When you think of superhero movies, you probably don’t think of concentration camps, civil rights allegory, and moral philosophy. But in 2000, Bryan Singer’s X-Men changed the conversation. Bringing Wolverine, Cyclops, Professor X, Magneto, and Rogue to the big screen for the first time, the film grounded comic book spectacle in themes of prejudice and identity. Anchored by a cast that included past and future Oscar winners, it treated its source material with an unusual seriousness for the era. More than just launching the X-Men franchise, the film helped kick off the modern wave of Marvel adaptations that would soon dominate Hollywood.

Over a decade later, does it still feel like the beginning of something bold, or a stepping stone to bigger things? Join Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob as they revisit the movie that helped usher superheroes into the 21st century.

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Eleven years after the “final” chapter, Ghostface picked up the phone again.

Scream 4 brings Sidney Prescott back to Woodsboro for the franchise’s first true revival, blending legacy characters with a new generation raised on remakes, reboots, and online fame. Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette return, joined by a cast of younger would-be survivors who think they know the rules better than anyone. This time, the satire targets horror remakes, internet celebrity, and a culture obsessed with going viral. Arnie, Stuart, and Marjorie break down the fourth entry to see whether this comeback revitalized the series or proved some franchises should stop at three.

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