Do NOT confuse this title for another Caravan of Courage on the Ewok moon

Before he was the martyr of Rogue One, Diego Luna was a desperate thief who accidentally lit the spark of the Rebellion in the 2022 series Andor. Is he better off making Death Star parts in prison with Andy Serkis, or facing the consequences of the Imperial robbery he pulled for chameleon Stellan Skarsgård? And can Senator Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) keep footing the bill while Forest Whitaker, Denise Gough, and Kyle Soller follow the money? Join rebels Justin, Arnie, and Stuart for the darker side of Star Wars right now!

Qui-Gon but Not Forgotten

Ewan McGregor returns to the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi in a 2022 miniseries that gives him another chance to school his rogue Padawan, Hayden Christensen, for rebranding himself as Darth Vader. But is the Force strong enough with this middle-aged Jedi Master to save little Princess Leia (Bird Box’s Vivien Lyra Blair) after she’s kidnapped by Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea? And will Inquisitor Moses Ingram (The Queen’s Gambit) succeed in her mission? Listen now to find out whether Arnie, Stuart, and Justin have renewed hope that Star Wars will thrive on Disney+.

The Hate U Give Disney Ends All Their Hopes (T.H.U.G. D.E.A.T.H)

Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game) attempts to save twin sisters from a witch coven and bring them into the Jedi fold, only to watch his Acolyte turn to the Dark Side in this Star Wars prequel. Can Amandla Stenberg (The Hate U Give) as former Jedi Osha be Forced to return to the Order and stop her sister Mae before she assassinates a meditating Jedi Master, a Wookiee hermit named Kelnacca, and even Trinity herself, Carrie-Anne Moss? And will Arnie, Justin, and Stuart give a Sith about this eight-episode Disney+ epic after it was cancelled following its first season? Listen and find out now.

Speaking In Tongues

Mary Shelley possesses Hamnet star Jessie Buckley and turns her into The Bride!, a politically charged sequel to her 1818 novel Frankenstein. But would the reinvigorated woman prefer not to be engaged to Christian Bale’s Monster when his idea of romance is stomping on mobsters' heads while pretending he’s tap dancing in a movie musical? And is director Maggie Gyllenhaal a mad scientist for fusing a Bonnie and Clyde love story with Gothic horror? Follow dubious detectives Brock, Stuart, and Arnie as they investigate this brain attack!

Bring Your Daughter To the Slaughter

Neve Campbell sat out Ghostface’s rampage in New York City so she could raise Isabel May to become her Final Girl replacement in Scream 7. Has Matthew Lillard risen from the dead to stalk veteran survivors like Courtney Cox, Mason Gooding, and Jasmin Savoy Brown in a brand new suburbia?  And why did O.G. screenwriter Kevin Williamson take another stab at directing a scary movie after his debut, Teaching Mrs. Tingle, nearly killed his career?  Join true crime junkies Marjorie, Arnie, and Stuart as they clean the blade of another postmodern slasher installment.

Welcome to the very first episode of Now Playing Podcast: Intermission, our new monthly free-form show where the structure is looser, it's far less edited, and anything can happen!

This month:

Arnie goes nuclear over Alamo Drafthouse’s new mid-movie cell phone ordering system and why he canceled his Season Pass.

Brock and Stuart break down Oscar season, from the Best Picture nominees to which films Arnie might actually enjoy.

The hosts debate Star Wars fatigue, The Mandalorian & Grogu, and who Lucasfilm is making movies for.

And we welcome our very first Patreon supporter guest for some horror trivia!

This is the show where we talk about what we’re watching, what’s frustrating us, and what’s coming next for Now Playing Podcast.

And this is our first show of this kind, so let us know if you enjoy the show. We welcome your feedback to help shape this new type of Now Playing Podcast! If you like this looser vibe, let us know.

We’ll be back next month!

Raging Ghoul 

Robert DeNiro couldn’t speak the Queen’s English even before Kenneth Branagh stitched his lips onto other body parts for a 1994 retelling of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.  Will the miscast actor need to hide at the North Pole to escape the embarrassment of his screen romance with Helena Bonham Carter?  Or was this a worthy creation denied life at the box office because of the bad press the director received over his off-screen dalliances?  Listen Now as Arnie, Brock, and Stuart dig up a classic movie monster and his bride for another re-animated podcast

{Individual Movie Reviews} {Frankenstein Series}

Fleshdance

Rock star Sting denies his Frankenstein creation Clancy Brown (Shawshank Redemption) a happy wedding day so that the mad scientist can be the one to kiss The Bride. But will Jennifer Beals (Vampire’s Kiss) find reanimated life enjoyable with The Police frontman watching every breath she takes with suitor Cary Elwes (Princess Bride)? And can little person David Rappaport (Time Bandits) successfully reinvent the jilted Monster into a popular circus clown?  Find out if this 1985 Mary Shelley update plays outside Budapest when you Listen Now!

Vlad The Impersonator

Director Luc Besson (The Fifth Element) spins Bram Stoker’s classic horror novel Dracula into “A Love Tale,” released in US cinemas in time for Valentine’s Day 2026. Is Caleb Landry Jones (Get Out) damned to walk the world a lonely vampire because he picked Roseanna Arquette’s daughter over God in a 1480 Ottoman battle? And how strong a perfume does the 400-year-old bloodsucker need to throw stake-wielding priest Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds) off his scent, or smell different than Gary Oldman did in the same role? Listen to Find Out Now!

Never Been Kissed

Arnie, Stuart, and Justin peer through their spirit camera to find the ghosts haunting a 2014 movie adaptation of the cult video game Fatal Frame. Is the graduating class of a Japanese Catholic school dying because a curse makes girls go mad and suicidal like Shakespeare’s Ophelia?  And is Ju-On Black Ghost director Mari Asato more interested in making a sequel to The Grudge than entertaining PlayStation 2 and Xbox users?  You don’t have to wait until midnight to plant your lips on the next Now Playing Arcade installment.  Listen Now! 

There’s Something About Mary

Director Christophe Gans makes a Return To Silent Hill 20 years after adapting the first video game into a hit movie. Sean Bean and his bifurcated daughter have moved on so that struggling artist Jeremy Irvine (War Horse) can save muse Hannah Emily Anderson (Jigsaw) from cult sacrifice. Is everyone seeing crazy things because the water is contaminated? Or is a dude with a pyramid head, a hospital full of gyrating nurses, and armless torsos squirting acid in the street just the local celebrities coming out to greet you? Listen Now to hear the hosts work this puzzle!