Movie Review Archives

1,643 reviews

Welcome to the complete Now Playing Podcast Movie Review Archive. Since our first review of Spider-Man 3 in 2007, we've reviewed [np_stat type="movies"] of movies through retrospective series, standalone reviews, and special episodes. Browse alphabetically, search by title, or explore by series to discover every film we've covered. Whether you're revisiting a favorite franchise or looking for a review of a single movie, you'll find the entire collection here.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Seven Years in Reverse

Reviewed Jan 26, 2009
Born under unusual circumstances, Benjamin Button springs into being as an elderly man in a New Orleans nursing home and ages in reverse. Twelve years after his birth, he meets Daisy, a child who flits in and out of his life as she grows up to be a dancer. Though he has all sorts of unusual adventures over the course of his life, it is his relationship with Daisy, and the hope that they will come together at the right time, that drives Benjamin forward. Genres: Drama, Fantasy, Romance

Friday the 13th: A New Beginning

It would have worked, too, if it weren't for those meddli...

Reviewed Jan 23, 2009
Homicidal maniac Jason returns from the grave to cause more bloody mayhem. Young Tommy may have escaped from Crystal Lake, but he’s still haunted by the gruesome events that happened there. When gory murders start happening at the secluded halfway house for troubled teens where he now lives, it seems like his nightmarish nemesis, Jason, is back for more sadistic slaughters. Genres: Horror, Thriller

Punisher: War Zone

The final word on parkour

Reviewed Dec 8, 2008
Waging his one-man war on the world of organized crime, ruthless vigilante-hero Frank Castle sets his sights on overeager mob boss Billy Russoti. After Russoti is left horribly disfigured by Castle, he sets out for vengeance under his new alias: Jigsaw. With the "Punisher Task Force" hot on his trail and the FBI unable to take Jigsaw in, Frank must stand up to the formidable army that Jigsaw has recruited before more of his evil deeds go unpunished. Genres: Action, Crime

WALL·E

Number Five is In Love

Reviewed Dec 1, 2008
After hundreds of years doing what he was built for, WALL•E— a robot designed to clean up the earth—discovers a new purpose in life when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE. EVE comes to realize that WALL•E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet's future, and races back to space to report to the humans. Meanwhile, WALL•E chases EVE across the galaxy and sets into motion one of the most imaginative adventures ever brought to the big screen. Genres: Animation, Family, Science Fiction

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

We like this movie, movie

Reviewed Nov 11, 2008
Alex, Marty, and other zoo animals find a way to escape from Madagascar when the penguins reassemble a wrecked airplane. The precariously repaired craft stays airborne just long enough to make it to the African continent. There the New Yorkers encounter members of their own species for the first time. Africa proves to be a wild place, but Alex and company wonder if it is better than their Central Park home. Genres: Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family

The Break-Up

Proof nothing good ever happens at Wrigley Field

Reviewed Sep 1, 2008
Pushed to the breaking-up point after their latest 'why can't you do this one little thing for me?' argument, Brooke calls it quits with her boyfriend Gary. What follows is a hilarious series of remedies, war tactics, overtures and undermining tricks – all encouraged by the former couple's friends and confidantes …and the occasional total stranger! When neither ex is willing to move out of their shared apartment, the only solution is to continue living as hostile roommates until one of them reaches breaking point. Genres: Comedy, Romance

21

Hit Kevin Spacey. Seriously, smack him upside the head.

Reviewed Aug 27, 2008
Ben Campbell is a young, highly intelligent student at M.I.T. who strives to succeed. Wanting a scholarship to transfer to Harvard School of Medicine to become a doctor, Ben learns that he cannot afford the $300,000 tuition as he comes from a poor, working-class background. But one evening, Ben is introduced by his unorthodox math professor to a small but secretive club of five students, Jill, Choi, Kianna, and Fisher, who are being trained by Professor Rosa to count cards at blackjack. Genres: Crime, Drama