Are You Screening? Podcast

We haven't been able to cover everything on the show, as usual, but it's time to let you in on the best of the year anyway. Unusual notes this year - No animated films made it, and unprecedented number of films that are on other people's best list are going to be on our worst lists.

As we close in on the end of award season, we're taking a look at one that not enough people are showering with praise, Little Women. We're also going to run through the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards so that you're up to speed as the Academy Awards grow closer, and so you get some idea where we're heading as our Best Lists also approach.

As the end of the year hits and awards season explodes, we have to take a step back and look the latest in the Star Wars franchise. We may not have gone in with high expectations, but it's hard for anyone to avoid finding some amount of fun in any Star Wars feature... maybe. We'll give you our take on the wrap to the franchise, and let you know about some other end of year titles you don't want to overlook.

Both movies this week have had topsy turvy rides through the media with people promoting them as strong contenders for awards with brilliant casts, then facing certain amounts of backlash with audiences and critics questioning their status. Both have ultimately survived (to this point) and are critical darlings, though Knives Out isn't exactly running toward a lot of awards. As we make our way through the minefield that is the end of the year, we'll let you know where we stand on these, and one of them is a film that I think people are going to return to for years to come.

We're on the eve of award season, and the release of several films that are going to dominate nominations. As we gear up to run through dozens of movies in the next few weeks, we're spotlighting a couple that shouldn't be overlooked. Ford v Ferarri (LeMans '66 everywhere else in the world) is a surprising win, especially for those who aren't drawn to the idea of watching car races for a couple hours, and while we had some problems with the Mr. Rogers effort, it's well worth checking out... though, to be honest, it might not require the theater experience.

As we approach the height of award-bait season, Midway rolls on the scene looking for a war-interested audience. It's a genre that is becoming increasingly niche and efforts that focus on battles need more to draw people in than just an action-packed, historic account of events. Does Midway have what it takes to get people in seats, and is it worthwhile once they show up? We'll let you know how this one fared and if you're likely to sing its praises. We'll also be giving you a rundown of some of the recent TV entries via new streaming services.

We're playing catch-up this week, largely due to a trip to the premiere of The Irishman. We'll be taking a look at that one, Terminator: Dark Fate, Zombieland Double Tap, and Gemini Man so strap in. We're also going to be giving you a quick run through of the films headed to theaters in November, because there is too much to see. As a special treat, direct from the post-premiere press conference, Al Pacino tells a story about a weird acting spin when he was at The Actor's Studio and if nothing else, it cracked up Martin Scorsese.

The box office vote is in, and Joker is a winner, but is it because of the hype - positive and negative - or just because the title is going to draw crowds? If the film is, for example, really bad, or actually has nothing to do with the Joker, would it make as much money just because enough people want to find out? We'll let you know where we landed on this DC adventure, and whether or not it's worth your time.

Slow-paced movies that send big names into space have a pretty good track record, as does writer/director James Gray, but this one looks like it's taking "slow" a lot more seriously. Does that work with... whatever the story is, and can Brad Pitt hold the audience when it doesn't look like he gets a lot of help? We'll let you know if you need to catch this one immediately or not, and we've got some takes on the Emmy's, as well as a few of our thoughts on Joker.

It's hard to imagine two films that are, in some sense, aiming at horror that are more different in their approach, especially when you consider that both need some explanation just to wrap your head around if they are members of the genre at all. These are also two films where expectations may lead you down the wrong path to enjoying them, and they are two films that are better than we thought they'd be... for what that's worth. Tune in and find out our take on these films, and we'll also give you a bit of a rundown of what's headed your way.

Good Boys is a difficult movie to judge by the trailers, because it seems to market itself for those who sneak in. Still, there are some notable comedic names attached to the project and coming-of-age doesn't often go completely wrong.  Tune in and we'll let you know if this one is worth your time. We're also jumping back to The Dead Don't Die, because zombie movies shouldn't get skipped.

The summer is fast abandoning us and it doesn't seem that weird CGI "live action" remakes or Tarantino can save us. As theaters ditch us in their deal with TV to let us have our eyeballs for fall, are either of these movies worth the time? We'll let you know our thoughts on these two films that a lot of people are hopeful for... whether there's any reason to be or not.

The Spider-Man franchise has to make some odd moves as a continuation of the broader Marvel story, and it's hard to know how that's going to play out going into this one. Beyond that, our new incarnation of the web-slinger has his own hurdles to get past. Is this one worth your time, and will Gyllenhaal give us a decent villain?

The return to certain franchises is often a longshot, especially when we're looking at large gaps between releases, but Men in Black International takes this to a whole new level. The best-case scenario for expectations seems questionable when you're after a franchise no one has mentioned in a decade. But, stranger things have turned into solid films. Does this one have anything to pull you in, even if that may only be a small bite of popcorn fun? We'll let you know if this one is worth your time.

The X-Men franchise hasn't had the success one might hope in this era of superhero/comic book films, and heading into Dark Phoenix, fans had to wonder if they were going to get something that was truly following Apocalypse or a branch that looked more like Logan. We'll let you know if you need to see this one in theaters, or at all, and if it adds life to a franchise that might be looking to reboot. We're also going to run through a few films heading your way soon, and the odd summer approaching.

We're covering Booksmart this week and with all the social media attention this one is getting you may be planning to fit this one into your schedule. Despite a box office showing that isn't anything to cheer about, critics are loving this one. But, does it live up to the hype it's now getting? We'll let you know if this one is worth your time at all and/or if you need to get to theaters before it gets pushed out by bigger releases.

John Wick was a surprisingly solid effort and pulled in enough fans that we're now on the third film, with the release date for the next installment already confirmed. But, the second film was a little rough and didn't so much end as spend its last half hour hoping to convince you a third was a good idea. Tune in and we'll let you know if the wait pays off and if John Wick 3 stays true to its own world in order to set the stage for the upcoming TV series focusing on The Continental. We also couldn't avoid taking a few shots at the Game of Thrones finale, so there's that.

It's the sort of thing that you don't want to let a title get away with, but this Long Shot might just surprise a lot of people. You may not get exactly what you think, based on trailers, but Theron has proven that she can make just about anything work. Give us a listen, and we'll let you know if you need to get to this one while you have the chance.

It's finally here, and as you may recall, we were split on the last installment of The Avengers. Where will that leave us with this one? It's probably not that hard to guess. It's going to be the biggest movie in many years and we'll let you know how many times you need to see it.

It seems like a bizarre move to introduce a character who may be pivotal to Avengers: Endgame a couple of weeks before what is likely to be the biggest blockbuster ever, but is there more going on here than whipping out a new character to resolve our plot, or is this going to end up a rush job with little going for it? We'll let you know what we think, and you may be a bit surprised by this film that shows off a female star in the Marvel Universe while taking us back in time.