Are You Screening? Podcast
450 episodes - English - Latest episode: 1 day ago - ★★★★★ - 13 ratingsMovie review podcast by Critics Choice Awards critic Marc Eastman and co-host Shane Leonard.
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Episodes
Worst Movies of the Year + Damsel & Spaceman Reviews
April 18, 2024 15:14 - 1 hour - 57.2 MBIt's that time again, and as much as it is perhaps unnecessary to rewarn people of the worst movies last year, it's now in a list! Thankfully, we don't need to overly revisit bad movies, which means we can also bring you a couple of recent Netflix releases, Damsel and Spaceman. We'll let you know what to stay away from, if you've managed it so far, and who knows what else we'll get up to.
Dune Part 2 Review
April 15, 2024 13:28 - 52 minutes - 36.6 MBThe second part of the Dune extravaganza actually managed to surprise, though it had some flaws and a strange ending. As much as we liked the first installment, there was a lot that could go wrong. Tune in and find out what we thought about the massive undertaking, why it worked, and why it occasionally didn't.
The Best of the Year Lists!
March 01, 2024 01:51 - 1 hour - 79.1 MBThis week we are taking on the Best of the Year, but it's also our first episode that we are also doing on video. Things might sound a little strange here and there, and that'll be why. Also, this one got away from us a bit on length, mostly because we had a lot of Honorable Mentions. It was a wild year to be sure, which made lists both easier and harder, but at the very least ours aren't the same as everyone else's. Please also check us out on YouTube, and like and subscribe there, etc.
The Mad Dash Episode - Reviews To Round Out The Year
February 13, 2024 17:45 - 1 hour - 59.2 MBThis week we actually just cranked through a lot of films to end the year before next week when we dare to offer you our Best of the Year list. We hit too many to go over, including such winners as Past Lives and Dream Scenario, and ended up with some of our biggest differences ever, which was really surprising in some cases. This was largely a result of Shane hating everything and me being a sucker... apparently. Tune in to find out about several movies you need to check out so that you a...
Oppenheimer, May December, American Fiction & More
February 05, 2024 15:33 - 1 hour - 53.1 MBAs we run headlong toward our Best of the Year list, and the Can't Win Awards, we're trying like hell to get through as many films as possible... and it only works so well. This week we finally get to Oppenheimer, which hit us pretty much as we expected... tune into to find out what that means. We're also looking at two real gems of the year, even if we didn't rate one of them that highly, May December and American Fiction.
Killers of the Flower Moon Review - Plus Award Drama & TV "Special Note"
February 01, 2024 13:07 - 1 hour - 53.2 MBThis week we finally look at Killers of the Flower Moon as we head into our wrap up of as many movies we didn't get to as possible before our Best of the Year list and our "Can't Win" Awards. Killers didn't really impress us, as is perhaps the case with several of the biggest titles this year, and we'll let you know exactly why. Also, in a bit of a strange move as we waste time when we have better things to do, we talk about the Oscar snubs and how I unfortunately caused them, or predicted...
Critics Choice Awards Winners Plus The Holdovers & Saltburn
January 18, 2024 13:14 - 1 hour - 57.1 MBThe Critics Choice Awards happened and it was a great show once again. This week we look over the winners and let you know how we feel about them (and sometimes what I actually voted for), and we review (though rather quickly) The Holdovers and Saltburn. The Holdovers got Paul Giamatti the win, and as we mentioned in a previous episode, he deserved it, and it was a year with some serious competition. Saltburn hasn't managed a lot of love, and is becoming famous simply for the talk surround...
Critics’ Choice Awards Noms & Leave the World Behind Review
December 30, 2023 15:56 - 1 hour - 50.8 MBYou may be expecting our usual, end of year shotgun blast of reviews where we try to hit as many movies as possible each episode, but because this year threw off our ability to get a couple of episodes out - even as we prepare to add video to the mix - we've decided to run through some of the major categories of the Critics' Choice Awards nominations in order to highlight and discuss said nominees that way. We will get you our take on several of the most noteworthy films that way, and revie...
Poor Things Review
December 07, 2023 13:14 - 1 hour - 50.3 MBIn a wildly rare move... sort of, we are only covering one film this week, Poor Things. As usual for the pre-award rush, we've been hyping the fact that we would need to share several movies per episode, but this week... accidentally, we are laser-focused on Yorgos Lanthimos' latest, and this treat with Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, and Willem Defoe is certainly worthy of our attention... even if it isn't quite the 10/10 I was expecting. It is close though.
The Marvels & The Killer Reviews
November 16, 2023 23:00 - 1 hour - 52.7 MBThis week we are really gearing up for awards season, which seems crazy. Before we get too close to four or five films a week territory, we have a couple of big titles to tackle, and neither of them impressed us much. The Marvels is getting a wild world of pro and con commentary, but where does it really land, and why? The Killer, which is weirdly, The K__.ller, owing to the graphic novel, is a lot of potential that doesn't really amount to anything as cool as it should have been.
Five Nights at Freddy’s Review And More
November 08, 2023 15:09 - 1 hour - 53.5 MBThis week we are taking a look at what turns out to be a truly special movie, Five Nights at Freddy's, at least in terms of messing with our ratings. We're also covering a couple of other films, including Totally Killer. As much as it may seem absolutely crazy, because we are very serious film critics, Five Nights played havoc with our thoughts about rating movies. So much so that we have been inspired to revisit our show from ages ago where we dive deep into how we come to our ratings. Lo...
A Haunting in Venice Review
October 14, 2023 15:59 - 1 hour - 48.1 MBWe're avoiding a lot of Halloween this week, but there's still "Haunting" in the title. While horror, or at least horror-ish, titles are moving around the box office rankings, we're looking at A Haunting in Venice, the third effort of a semi-vanity project.... just like in our last show. Is this one worth your time, or has this gone on too long?
Equalizer 3 Review and more
September 27, 2023 15:39 - 1 hour - 50.6 MBThis week, as we move from stellar box office, to the curious case of a winning holiday weekend... to the box office black hole, we're looking at the third installment in the increasingly curious Equalizer franchise. This one is a vanity project that won't die, and while the first one was... fair enough, it's becoming hard to tell why we ever picked the name in the first place. Does this one hold up? Is it worth your time? We'll let you know, and we're going to jump into a few other things...
Barbie Review
August 23, 2023 15:20 - 1 hour - 53.3 MBThe shocking blockbuster that is Barbie has taken the year's box office by storm, and it is at the center of intense debate and... unusual awards talk. So where does the film land when not merely analyzing the feminist debate within, and how does the film showcase Margot Robbie, Greta Gerwig, and Ryan Gosling, apart from making a lot of money? We'll let you know how well this one delivers. Apologies for the a massive technical failure throwing things off a bit in the episode.
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Review Part One Review
August 23, 2023 14:55 - 1 hour - 51 MBThe Impossible team is at it again, sort of, and this time they find themselves up against a whole new kind of enemy. The cultural boogeyman of the decade is AI and there's no reason our Impossible heroes shouldn't jump on the bandwagon. It's no secret that Cruise uses the franchise to... work out some fantasies, and the question has long been whether or not it all comes together to deliver something that holds up to the first couple of films. We'll let you know where this one lands. We've...
Indiana Jones & the Dial of Destiny Review and More
July 19, 2023 23:29 - 1 hour - 55.5 MBAfter a bit of a break we are running full steam into massive, tentpole season, although many of them don't seem to be doing quite as well as we might hope. There was a time that Indiana Jones might have made twice as many movies and the all would have killed, but we aren't exactly in those times, and the question of whether or not a new Indy adventure is worth it is... well, a fairly live question. We'll let you know if this one is worth your time, and we have some bonuses to discuss as ...
Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse Review
July 13, 2023 14:14 - 1 hour - 45.9 MBAs we start to hit the big-money releases, we're going to look at the new, animated Spider-Man effort. The first one smashed into the cultural awareness in a way we haven't seen in a while, and there are high hopes for this one, but will it live up to the fascination? With the potential to become an epic sub-franchise of the superhero genre, this one could be the key. We'll let you know if this one has what it takes.
Sisu Review & More
July 13, 2023 14:02 - 1 hour - 55.3 MBAs we approach some really big titles hitting theaters, we're taking on Sisu and looking at some other titles that may easily get overlooked. The box office ahead looks to be dominated by a few titles, but the numbers aren't quite reaching expectations and we're going to continue to try to showcase other options... in case Barbie isn't for everyone.
Fast X Review
June 02, 2023 04:03 - 1 hour - 54 MBAs we move into the summer, and some truly big releases, Fast X hits the scene and the potential puns abound. Is this one the charm? Do the high revving thrills and surefire excitement have surprises in store? Is this worth watching at all? Even if you haven't seen any of the others? We will dodge a lot of these questions and many more as we try to wrap our heads around reviewing this one. Or, we'll let you know where we stand after less than positive reviews of the 9th installment.
Guardians of the Galaxy vol 3
May 18, 2023 15:13 - 1 hour - 54.7 MBIt's time for more Marvel adventure, but Guardians of the Galaxy isn't quite the same beast after two previous movies and appearances in several other features. This one may focus on a character, giving us our villain, but it seems not to focus on anything. We'll let you know if you need to get this one and we'll hit up one or two other things as well.
Super Mario Bros, Renfield & Cocaine Bear Reviews
May 01, 2023 17:16 - 1 hour - 51.5 MBThis week we're trying to catch up with three titles - Super Mario Bros, Renfield & Cocaine Bear. It's a wild mix to cover all at once and spans a lot of potential tastes, and unfortunately none of them really wowed us. We'll let you know if you need to seek any of these out and give you some quick takes on a few other things, like Picard, and the strange way a lot of these titles seem to connect.
Tetris & Murder Mystery 2
April 22, 2023 14:34 - 1 hour - 51.8 MBAs the theatrical window slows a bit, we're looking at some streaming release titles before getting into the late April/May black hole. A couple of surprises here, odd as they turned out to be, as Tetris and Murder Mystery 2 didn't really turn out the way we thought they would, for good or ill.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Review
April 10, 2023 13:04 - 1 hour - 51.8 MBThis week finds us borderline astonished with Dungeons & Dragons, though I liked it even more than Shane. This may well survive the entire year as the most surprising film of the year. Screwy fun, not too serious, and solid characters turned what could have been a "fan only" snooze into a popcorn hit.
John Wick 4 Review
March 29, 2023 17:33 - 1 hour - 52.1 MBThis week we're reviewing John Wick 4 and looking at how it connects (or doesn't) with the entire franchise. Can Keanu's neverending endurance and ability to take punishment spawn a movie on its own? Is a stunning stung/FX highlight reel a story? Is there something wrong with the financial situation worldwide in John Wick's universe? We'll look at all these questions and more, plus we've got mail!
65 Review
March 21, 2023 22:02 - 1 hour - 50.7 MBThere's finally a fair number of decent possibilities in (or approaching) theaters, but something about 65 drew us in. Tune in and we'll let you know if this somewhat screwy idea can be made into something exciting, and if Driver can carry things when he's mostly on his own. Here's a hint, this worked a lot better for one of us than the other.
Our ”Can’t Win” Awards 2023!
March 14, 2023 12:29 - 1 hour - 52.2 MBIt's our awards show time again as we give you our picks for the "Can't Win" awards. Our picks to help highlight performances and films that just have no chance of winning "real" awards. A very interesting selection of movies this year, although I couldn't quite follow my own guidelines and ended up giving a few nods to the same movie, which doesn't spread as much love as I want from this whole idea. Tune in and find out where we think the underappreciation was felt most strongly last year.
The Worst Movies of 2022 Plus Ant-Man Quick Look
March 01, 2023 13:31 - 1 hour - 61.1 MBSome technical difficulties pushed us back with this episode, but the wait is over for the Worst Movies of 2022, which I know everyone was looking forward to. It was an easy year for picking bad movies, but we also give some insights on other worst lists, which confuse us greatly. We also give our quick take on Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which didn't win us over.
The Best Movies of 2022 Lists
February 16, 2023 15:41 - 1 hour - 58.2 MBIt's finally time and despite our best efforts there are still a couple of films that made our lists that we didn't have time to cover throughout the year. Find out what blew us away and let me tell you, there are some surprises. As usual, we will also call out those movies that are on everyone else's lists that just aren't actually worthy.
A Man Called Otto, Living, The Whale & Empire of Light
February 07, 2023 13:43 - 1 hour - 57.5 MBIt's our last show to squeeze in everything we can before we hit you with our Best of the Year lists and things get a little dodgy in the rush. This week we look at Tom Hanks remaking A Man Called Ove in a film that truly Americanizes most of the best notes out of things, and Bill Nighy remaking Kurosawa's Ikiru in a film that is nearly perfect (spoiler warning for next week's list). We also go back to The Whale and Empire of Light as we try to make sure we mention everything getting award...
Triangle of Sadness and Tar Reviews
January 27, 2023 17:48 - 1 hour - 53.2 MBWe continue this week trying to knock out everything we can before the Oscars. We're notoriously bad at that, but we manage a good look at Triangle of Sadness and Tar. Two films that couldn't be less for everybody, but are worth checking out. Next week we are going to have perhaps our strangest episode ever as we tackle A Man Called Otto, Living, and at least five other films in one show.
Critics’ Choice Awards Round-Up & Commentary Plus Violent Night Review
January 20, 2023 22:19 - 1 hour - 55.7 MBThis week we take a break from trying to get through every movie of the year before awards, because some awards happened. We'll run through the Critics' Choice Awards winners and discuss the highlights, great wins, and the things we think are a little silly. We're also going back to Violent Night, to further give a break from awards season, in case anyone missed this whacktastic delight over the holidays.
Glass Onion & The Pale Blue Eye Review
January 16, 2023 15:48 - 1 hour - 52.7 MBThis week we're catching up with Glass Onion as we try to cover everything as fast as we can with awards looming (and passing). We'll also look at The Pale Blue Eye, a Christian Bale vehicle which bizarrely is going almost completely unnoticed.
Glass Onion & The Pale Blue Eye Reviews
January 16, 2023 15:38 - 1 hour - 52.7 MBAs awards close in (and pass by) we're trying to get to as many films as we can, but in all honesty... we're bad at that. This week we had to go back to Glass Onion, because in all the rush we passed by that one in past weeks. The main struggle with this one seems to be between those who think it is better than the original and those that find it not quite as good. Either way, high praise. We'll let you know where we fall on that strange spectrum. We're also covering The Pale Blue Eye, the ...
Avatar Review & Critics’ Choice Awards Noms
January 02, 2023 21:24 - 1 hour - 69.8 MBThe big thing this week is obviously Avatar: The Way of Water and listeners may know that we don't both have the same feelings about Cameron, or Avatar. Is this one worth the mountains of box office cash? Is it worth anything? We'll let you know. We will also give you a bit of a rundown of the nominations for the Critics' Choice Awards and while I won't exactly give away my voting, it probably isn't to hard to tell where I'm leaning.
Bones and All, The Wonder, Pinocchio & More
December 22, 2022 15:04 - 1 hour - 76.3 MBAs awards season starts truly rocking, with CriticsChoice noms and a lot of critic group and other awards coming out, we're looking this week at some of the (sorry) smaller things out there. Although, Pinocchio is hitting things pretty hard on the animated front. Both Bones and All and The Wonder seemed like they were going to get a lot more attention a few months ago, but as the year winds down, they just aren't what people are taking about... but should they be? Tune in and we'll let yo...
The Fablemans, She Said, The Banshees of Inisherin & More
December 22, 2022 14:29 - 1 hour - 69.9 MBThis week we are diving into awards season with our usual reckless abandon, hoping to cover the films you most need to know about as nominations hit and we close out the year. Three big titles to cover means we can't give any of them what they might deserve and as far as nominations go, these are films you are going to hear about a lot, but are they really deserving of the hype? The Fablemans practically got nominated a year ago, She Said seems like it's a lock to get attention just on the...
All Quiet on the Western Front, Wendell & Wild Reviews & More
December 02, 2022 15:41 - 1 hour - 66 MBThis week is our last bit of normalcy heading into awards season and we're taking this opportunity to cover a couple of films that aren't the biggest releases. For the next two months we will probably be running through several films per week and the smaller things will, as always, not get the attention they deserve. All Quiet on the Western Front is probably our main pick for films that are going to be overlooked, and while we didn't love Wendell & Wild exactly, it's worth a look. We also...
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Review Plus So Much More
November 18, 2022 14:09 - 1 hour - 78.5 MBThis week we run through as many possibilities as we can at a time when movies and series utterly bombard us with choice. Wakanda Forever is the big name, but we'll also cover Enola Homes 2, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, and many more. We may not have liked everything, but with Rosaline, Causeway, Inside Man, The Good Nurse, and still more, if you can't find something you'll love, we just can't help you.
Black Adam Review And More
October 26, 2022 16:23 - 1 hour - 73.1 MBIt's obviously Black Adam week and there is a lot of talk about the disparity between critical and audience reception as this one takes over the box office. We'll let you know our take on it, and whether that disparity really even exists, and we're also going to look at a few more films including circling back to Halloween Ends again.
Luckiest Girl Alive, Halloween Ends, The Peripheral & More
October 23, 2022 15:15 - 1 hour - 70.2 MBThis week we try to take advantage of the lull before Black Adam and catch up on a few things. We'll look at Luckiest Girl Alive, Halloween Ends, The School for Good and Evil, and The Peripheral. A couple of these are pretty highly recommended, and we have to defend one of them against critics who don't seem to make a lot of sense, though it probably isn't the one you think.
Amsterdam Review - Plus Werewolf By Night
October 14, 2022 13:12 - 1 hour - 78.8 MBThis week we look at Amsterdam, a film with a lot of stars that is taking a lot of heat from critics. Does this star-studded caper deserve the press it's getting, or is the backlash aimed at the writer/director overshadowing the merits... and is it worth seeing in theaters? We'll let you know what we think, and we'll also look at Marvel's version of a Halloween Special, Werewolf by Night. Plus, we've got a listener question to address.
Don’t Worry Darling, Blonde & See How They Run Reviews
October 06, 2022 13:01 - 1 hour - 76.4 MBThis week (after a Covid break) we're hitting Don't Worry Darling, Blonde, and going back for See How They Run. It turned into a somewhat weird week, especially as Blonde and Don't Worry Darling had similar issues, which doesn't seem like it should be possible.
3,000 Years of Longing Review Plus 3 Bonus Films
September 09, 2022 14:12 - 1 hour - 74 MBThis week we are catching up due to some technical difficulties so we are not only reviewing 3,000 Years of Longing, but we are hitting a few available on streamers - Me Time, Samaritan, and Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. Unfortunately, the oft-mentioned lull in big, theatrical releases hasn't quite been the boon for these smaller affairs we hoped, but 3,000 Years of Longing is an "adventure" we recommend, even if it disappointed.
Bodies, Bodies, Bodies Review Plus
August 29, 2022 17:58 - 1 hour - 72.9 MBAs we head into an episode in which we will probably be getting to three films - two streamers - we are stuck doing our best with lack of big titles at the box office. We'll be looking at Bodies, Bodies, Bodies, the twenty-something, rich kid vehicle that finds a bunch of snots throwing a party for a hurricane when the bodies start dropping. We will also run you through some possibilities at home, including big name series, like House of Dragons, etc.
Dayshift & Prey Reviews - Plus a quick glimpse at She-Hulk
August 20, 2022 23:42 - 1 hour - 72.3 MBWe're solidly in the lull, so this week we look at the new Netflix film Dayshift and we catch up on Prey, and while neither film is devoid of positives, you really have to be looking for them to get much out of them. We'll let you know all the details and try to give you a sense of whether or not you're going to like them. We also give a quick take on She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, which is potentially a lot of fun, and potentially alienates a lot of Marvel fans.
Bullet Train and Luck Reviews
August 17, 2022 12:57 - 1 hour - 70 MBAs we enter a real lull in theatrical releases, Bullet Train hopes to capitalize on a lack of real blockbusters over the next few weeks. We'll let you know if it manages to earn your money, and why we both thought it was awfully close to becoming a classic. We also look at the Apple+ animated feature, Luck, which we had similar reactions to, and is perhaps aimed at a younger audience than you expect. Those films and more as we continue to try to showcase streaming options on the horizon.
Nope, The Gray Man & My Old School Reviews
July 30, 2022 00:54 - 1 hour - 73.4 MBNope and The Gray Man are battling for the king of cultural awareness this week, and with Nope having a decent run at the box office while The Gray Man keeps people at home, it's a wild week to be sure. We'll let you know if you need to catch these, and we're also taking a look at a fascinating documentary, My Old School. Give us a listen and hit us up at the website with questions for future episodes.
Thor Love & Thunder Review
July 20, 2022 16:34 - 1 hour - 65.8 MBIt's Thor week as theaters prepare for a slow August and September and we'll let you know if this one merits breaking away from your favorite streamers. Is it goofy fun, or just goofy? We're also taking you through upcoming releases and hoping to spotlight a few gems headed your way while giant, blockbuster releases take a bit of a break.
The Black Phone Review
July 13, 2022 14:21 - 1 hour - 71.3 MBAs we get ready for Thor, we're looking at The Black Phone, based on the work of Joe Hill. The unfortunately overlooked film starring Ethan Hawke would have perhaps been better served with an October release, but it's an interesting effort even if we aren't quite in a theatrical market that can deliver for smaller features. We'll let you know if you need to catch this in theaters, and we'll again give you a rundown of some streaming options.
Lightyear Review
July 05, 2022 18:22 - 1 hour - 69.1 MBPixar lands in theaters again with a curious spin on the idea of a sequel. According to the film's intro, the film that Andy saw which inspired the toy he then got for his birthday is the film you're about to watch. Thus, this animated sci-fi romp on an alien world has no real connection to the Toy Story films, leaving Pixar free to take off wherever it wants. It's a strange trip, and focuses on time travel, and we'll let you know if it holds its own among Pixar's efforts.