Now Playing - The Movie Review Podcast

If you've ever wanted someone to review every single film in a franchise, Now Playing is the podcast that actually does it. Hosts Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob pick a movie series and work through it chronologically, covering every sequel, remake, reboot, and spin-off. We're talking all the James Bond films. All the Marvel movies. The complete Mad Max series. Every Planet of the Apes entry. This thoroughness is what makes the show unique. Each episode includes behind-the-scenes production history, literary source material discussion, and the kind of research you'd expect from a film studies course, but delivered with humor and personality. The hosts have been doing this since 2007 and have produced over 1,100 reviews. Their approach is fan-funded and ad-free, which gives the show a different feel from ad-supported competitors. A premium tier (Now Playing PLUS) unlocks over 100 exclusive episodes covering additional franchises. The main show releases weekly and individual episodes run about an hour. The hosts can be critical, sometimes sharply so, which has divided listeners. Some appreciate the honest, research-backed opinions. Others wish for more enthusiasm. But that willingness to call out a bad sequel in a beloved franchise is part of what makes the show credible. With a 4.5 rating from over 2,500 reviews, it's a long-running favorite for franchise completists. If you're the kind of person who needs to watch all seven Saw movies before forming an opinion, these are your people.