Now Playing -- The Movie Review Podcast

Its title became short-hand for an action movie template that would be followed for a decade. It propelled star Bruce Willis to superstardom, making him never need to work in television again. It brought joy, and Ode to Joy, to millions of fans. It is the original 1988 action film Die Hard. As we ramp up for the fifth installment in Bruce Willis' most famous franchise, can Die Hard hold up 25 years later? Listen to Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob's review to find out!

A homosexual socialite is murdered and dismembered, and it's up to hard-boiled police Detective Joe Leland to figure it out! But there's more to this case than meets the eye, and events will be set in motion that reveal a conspiracy among New York City's elite that Leland can only stop at the cost of his own career. With Frank Sinatra in the lead role, The Detective is a racy drama...but what does it have to do with Die Hard? And is the movie worth checking out? Listen to Stuart, Arnie, and Jakob's review to find out!

After Platinum Dunes recovered Leatherface from direct-to-video hell, they relinquished their rights to the franchise, so Twisted Pictures and Lions Gate Entertainment stepped in to take the series back to its grindhouse roots. Ignoring all Texas Chainsaw films except the original, this new 3-D film picks up right where the first ended, and then fast forwards to present day. Is this the sequel Tobe Hooper's classic has always deserved, or another waste of gas? Listen to Stuart, Arnie, and Brock's review to find out!

In Los Angeles, a man calling himself "Evil" has a novel way to celebrate the coming of a new year--killing a woman every hour as a new time zone enters 1981! In New Year's Evil we follow the man as he rings in the year, and harasses TV host Blaze in between. Should you resolve to see this movie, or is this a slasher best forgot and never brought to mind? Listen to Stuart, Arnie, and Marjorie's review to find out!

Just in time for the holiday season, genre film studio Anchor Bay released a remake of Silent Night, Deadly Night! Only loosely based on the original, and titled simply Silent Night, the new version brings star power before unseen in the franchise, with Malcolm McDowell, Donal Logue, and Jamie King starring in the film about a psychotic Santa who kills those who are naughty. Is this modern version of Silent Night a Christmas treat, or another lump of coal left in the Christmas stocking? Listen to find out!

The Silent Night, Deadly Night films have always been loose with continuity, but in Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker we see yet another exploration of Christmas evil when an angsty Pinocchio unleashes deadly toys upon an unsuspecting young boy. With outspoken Silent Night, Deadly Night hater Mickey Rooney playing a drunken Gepetto, does this film have more to it than delicious irony? Listen to find out!

After three films exploring the homicidal impulses of the Caldwell (or is it Chapman) family, Silent Night, Deadly Night 4 goes a different direction as a wannabe journalist investigates a case of spontaneous combustion in Los Angeles during Christmas season. Is a cult of Lilith worshipers a good replacement for a homicidal maniac, and is the Ricky played in this film by Clint Howard the same Ricky we've seen in the previous three films? Listen to find out!

Ricky is back! After being shot at the end of Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2, Ricky's brain-dead body is revived after a connection with a blind psychic. With horror vet Bill Moseley taking over the role of Ricky Robert Culp as the cop chasing the killer, and several connections to the classic TV series Twin Peaks, this sequel has more brains on display than the previous two films, but is it better? Listen to find out!

The first Silent Night, Deadly Night film was pulled from theaters due to protests, but in the age of home video it found a second life on VHS. Anxious to capitalize on the first film's notoriety the studio decided to rush through a no-budget sequel, recycling most of the original film into a Part 2. Despite the humble beginnings, the film has gone on to surpass the original in infamy and YouTube fame, spawning a meme and a strange catch-phrase. Is this movie something to add to your Christmas wish list? Listen to Arnie, Stuart, and Marjorie's review to find out!

In November, 1984 one of the most famous movie slashers hit theaters--Freddy Kruger. But that same day, another serial killer film was released that drew far more attention and ire--Silent Night, Deadly Night. Outside theaters across the country people protested the film featuring a bloodthirsty man in a Santa suit, and the film was quickly pulled from theaters. But over the years it has become a cult favorite horror film, spawning several sequels and, this year, a remake. Join Now Playing hosts Marjorie, Arnie, and Stuart as they watch and review this 1984 classic. Is this movie naughty or nice? Listen to find out!

After reviewing 25 movies released over the span of 50 years, Now Playing reaches the conclusion of its James Bond retrospective series--Skyfall. Continuing the rebooted spy stories starring Daniel Craig, Skyfall has already become the top-grossing film in the James Bond franchise, and there is even rumblings of Academy Award honors. But can it really best Craig's Casino Royale, and how does a life long Bond fan warm to this new take? Listen to Now Playing's ultimate James Bond review to find out! Plus the hosts reflect on all 25 Bond films, picking the best and worst actors, film, and songs from the franchise!

In 2006 we got a new take on an old hero with James Bond in Casino Royale, but while the film told of the spy's first adventure questions were left unanswered. Who were the mysterious people to whom Le Chiffre owed money? Who is the mysterious employer behind Mr. White? These answers were to be revealed two years later in the follow-up film Quantum of Solace. With Daniel Craig returning and a title taken from an original Fleming story, can this film live up to the high praise given to Casino Royale? Listen to Arnie, Stuart, and Brock's review to find out in Now Playing's penultimate James Bond review leading directly to this year's blockbuster Skyfall!

James Bond made his first appearance in Ian Fleming's novels in 1953 in the novel Casino Royale, and in 2006 a brand new James Bond makes his first appearance in a film based on that novel. Rights issues had prevented Eon from adapting the original James Bond story as part of their film series, but with the rights obtained they used that opportunity to present a new James Bond for a new generation. Not just a new actor in the role, but an entirely new take on the MI6 agent, showing his origin, his obtaining his double-oh status, and going on his first mission to win a high stakes poker game against international terrorist Le Chiffre. But did Bond need a reboot? And how does Craig stack up against the previous Bond? Listen to Arnie, Stuart, and Brock's review to find out!

It's James Bond's first adventure in the 21st century, and Pierce Brosnan's last time playing the role of the British secret agent. Partnered with Halle Berry's NSA agent Jinx Johnson, can the two stop a North Korean terrorist's nefarious plot? It's a film celebrating the lore of Bond, but not very celebrated by Bond fans. Is the reputation deserved, and what final impression does Brosnan leave as Bond? Listen to Now Playing to find out!

In Pierce Brosnan's third outing as James Bond he must protect an oil heiress against a mercenary out for revenge, and uncovers a plot that involves a nuclear bomb being detonated in Istanbul. Notorious for having Bond girl Denise Richards, is this movie enough to earn a recommend from Arnie, Stuart, and Brock? Listen to Now Playing to find out!

Bond has taken on evil in many forms, from expansionist communist regimes to maniacal villains who wish to destroy Earth, but can Bond take on the villain of the 90s--the media? In Brosnan's second film playing 007, he goes against Elliot Carver who hopes to foster a war between England and China to raise the ratings of his cable news network. The film has kung-fu, a helicopter chase, and a remote-controlled BMW, but is it Bond at his best? Listen to find out!

After the longest hiatus in the history of the James Bond flm franchise, Bond is back and now portrayed by former Remington Steele actor Pierce Brosnan. In a post-Cold War era, can Bond remain relevant to modern audiences? Listen to Arnie, Stuart, and Brock's review to find out!

Dalton is Bond, but no longer 007 when his License to Kill is revoked! When a drug lord goes after Bond's friend, the spy will stop at nothing for revenge. It's a Bond for the 80's, but does it hold up in the 21st century? Listen to Brock, Arnie, and Stuart's review to find out!

With Roger Moore retiring as James Bond the mantle was passed to British actor Timothy Dalton. Portraying a more modern version of 007, Dalton's Bond had a harder edge and a more action movie feel. Is The Living Daylights the living end for Arnie, Stuart, and Brock? Listen to their review to find out!

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!