Wake Up Dead Man, Train Dreams, Sentimental Value

Show Notes: 00:00:00 – Tribute to Rob Reiner 00:26:55 – Review: Hamnet 01:00:00 – Review: Rental Family This week on Cinemaholics, Jon and Will review Hamnet, the new drama from Chloé Zhao, adapting Maggie O’Farrell’s novel of the same name and starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal. We then discuss Rental Family from director HIKARI, which stars Brendan Fraser and Akira Emoto. And we open the show with a tribute to Rob Reiner where we discuss his filmmaking career and specific contributions to cinema as both a director and actor over the decades. Links: Email your feedback for the show to cinemaholicspodcast [at] gmail.com Join our Discord and chat with us! We have a Cinemaholics channel here. Check out our Cinemaholics Merch! Connect with Cinemaholics on Facebook and Instagram. Support our show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cinemaholicsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Show Notes: 00:00:00 – CCA Nominations 00:08:00 – Film Roulette: Sirat, The Flintstones (1994), Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, Better Man, Blue Moon, The Running Man, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), Predator: Killer of Killers, Shelby Oaks, Speed Racer, Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair 00:29:30 – Review: The Voice of Hind Rajab 00:49:20 – Review: Jay Kelly 01:13:50 – Review: It Was Just an Accident This week on Cinemaholics, Jon and Will review The Voice of Hind Rajab, a harrowing new drama from Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania (Four Daughters). Afterward, we take a look at Jay Kelly, the latest comedy-drama from Noah Baumbach and starring a huge star-lit cast featuring George Clooney, Adam Sandler, and plenty more. And our last review is of It Was Just an Accident, the remarkable new thriller from Jafar Panahi that won the Palme d'Or at this years Cannes Film Festival and is topping plenty "best of the year" lists. We open up the show with a quick discussion of some of the Critics Choice Association nominations for Best Picture then swing right into Film Roulette. That's the game where we do a lightning round of new and old films for the other person to react to with only a sentence (or paragraph). Links: Email your feedback for the show to cinemaholicspodcast [at] gmail.com Join our Discord and chat with us! We have a Cinemaholics channel here. Check out our Cinemaholics Merch! Connect with Cinemaholics on Facebook and Instagram. Support our show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cinemaholicsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Show Notes: 00:00:00 – Film Roulette: Jay Kelly, Wicked: For Good, Bugonia, One Battle After Another, The Perfect Neighbor, After the Hunt, If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, Eternity, Hamnet, Zootopia 2, Rental Family, Rebuilding, Peter Hujar's Day, Die My Love, Predator: Badlands, Avatar: Fire and Ash, The Baltimorons, The Testament of Ann Lee 00:23:25 – Review: Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery 00:44:25 – Review: Train Dreams 01:04:40 – Review: Sentimental Value This week, Jon and Will review Wake Up Dead Man, the newest "Knives Out" mystery from Rian Johnson. They also take a look at Train Dreams, directed by Cliff Bentley and starring Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones. And then they finish out the show with a review of Sentimental Value, the latest from Joachim Trier and starring Renate Reinsve and Stellan Skarsgård. And that's not all. Because it's been quite some time since the Cinemaholics had a chance to talk film (sorry for the hiatus!) Jon introduced a brand new game called Film Roulette. Essentially we do a rapid-fire set of reactions to a whole bunch of movies that have either come out recently or are in the awards conversation more broadly.   Links: Email your feedback for the show to cinemaholicspodcast [at] gmail.com Join our Discord and chat with us! We have a Cinemaholics channel here. Check out our Cinemaholics Merch! Connect with Cinemaholics on Facebook and Instagram. Support our show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cinemaholicsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is film criticism dead? On this week’s episode of Cinemaholics, Jon Negroni and Will Ashton kick things off with a timely conversation about the state of movie reviews in a post-Twitter world. With major papers shedding critics and platforms like Substack taking their place, what does the future hold for film discourse? Then, the guys dig into Weapons, the sophomore horror feature from Barbarian director Zach Cregger. Starring Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, and Benedict Wong, Weapons is an ambitious suburban nightmare told in fragmented perspectives and genre-defying set pieces. Jon and Will unpack the film’s surprising themes, multi-chapter structure, and incredible practical effects. Is Weapons a worthy follow-up to Barbarian? Or does it get lost in its own metaphorical maze? Plus, we read some Letterboxd reviews, play the Rotten Tomatoes game, and share which August films we’re most excited to see next. Links: Email your feedback for the show to cinemaholicspodcast [at] gmail.com Join our Discord and chat with us! We have a Cinemaholics channel here. Check out our Cinemaholics Merch! Connect with Cinemaholics on Facebook and Instagram. Support our show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cinemaholicsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marvel’s First Family is back for a fourth time. On this week’s episode of Cinemaholics, Jon Negroni and Will Ashton unpack The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the latest attempt to reboot Marvel’s unluckiest franchise. With Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach suiting up for a 60s-inspired, retro-futurist take, director Matt Shakman (WandaVision) brings serious style to a film that’s long on vibes but maybe short on soul. We break down the film’s visual direction, ensemble performances, and the Galactus-sized question at its core: what is the point of another reboot? Plus, we debate the movie’s oddly hollow emotional arc, its meta-commentary on Marvel fatigue, and how it stacks up against the previous iterations of the Fantastic Four. Is this a first step in the right direction or another cosmic trip into irrelevance? Tune in to find out! Links: Read Jon’s written review of the film here! Email your feedback for the show to cinemaholicspodcast [at] gmail.com Join our Discord and chat with us! We have a Cinemaholics channel here. Check out our Cinemaholics Merch! Connect with Cinemaholics on Facebook and Instagram. Support our show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cinemaholicsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jon Negroni and Will Ashton break down Superman, the bold new reboot from DC Studios and director James Gunn. Starring David Corenswet as the Man of Steel and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, the film launches the first chapter of Gunn’s DCU with a surprising blend of warmth, wit, and world-building. Jon and Will unpack the movie’s heartfelt tone, its standout performances, and whether Gunn’s vision successfully updates Superman for a new generation. They debate the film’s commentary, its ambitious ensemble of DC characters, and how Superman balances sincerity with satire in a cinematic landscape that’s maybe forgotten how to hope. Links: Read Jon’s written review of the film here! Email your feedback for the show to cinemaholicspodcast [at] gmail.com Join our Discord and chat with us! We have a Cinemaholics channel here. Check out our Cinemaholics Merch! Connect with Cinemaholics on Facebook and Instagram. Support our show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cinemaholicsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Special guest Mike Overhulse of the Mad Men Men podcast joins Jon Negroni and Will Ashton to break down Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning, the latest (and possibly final?) installment in the long-running spy franchise starring Tom Cruise as the ever-unbreakable Ethan Hunt. Directed once again by Christopher McQuarrie, the film sends the IMF team on a high-octane collision course with a rogue AI known as The Entity, in what may be the most self-aware entry in the series to date. Jon, Will, and Mike unpack the film’s jaw-dropping action sequences, its tangled narrative web, and how Final Reckoning reflects a growing anxiety in Hollywood around digital threats both on and off the screen. They debate the movie’s emotional stakes, its increasingly meta commentary on Cruise’s career, and whether this half of the story sticks the landing as a standalone film.   Links: Read Jon's critic review of the film here! Email your feedback for the show to cinemaholicspodcast [at] gmail.com Join our Discord and chat with us! We have a Cinemaholics channel here. Check out our Cinemaholics Merch! Connect with Cinemaholics on Facebook and Instagram. Support our show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cinemaholicsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Will Ashton returns with a solo Instant Take on Another Simple Favor, the Amazon Prime sequel to Paul Feig’s 2018 suburban noir comedy-thriller A Simple Favor. With Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively reprising their roles, this follow-up heads to Italy for a destination wedding filled with secrets, frenemy tension, and stylish intrigue. Will breaks down what works—and what fizzles—in this second helping. Despite a few fun twists and an appealing setting in Capri, the film struggles to recapture the charm of the original. Kendrick’s character lacks clear evolution, while Lively’s return, though enjoyable, can’t quite carry the film through its sillier and more uneven second half. With vibes that feel more White Lotus than Gone Girl, Another Simple Favor tries to balance camp, crime, and couture. Will questions whether this sequel really needed to exist at all, comparing it to other lackluster follow-ups (The Whole Ten Yards, anyone?) that get the gang back together but forget the plot. If you were a fan of the first film, there are still some moments of cheeky fun—like a memorable truth serum scene—but overall, this one might leave you regretting asking for more. Links: Email your feedback for the show to cinemaholicspodcast [at] gmail.com Join our Discord and chat with us! We have a Cinemaholics channel here. Check out our Cinemaholics Merch! Check out our Patreon to support Cinemaholics! Connect with Cinemaholics on Facebook and Instagram. Support our show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cinemaholicsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Will Ashton returns with another Instant Take, this time tackling The Amateur, a new action-thriller starring Rami Malek (Mr. Robot, Bohemian Rhapsody) as a surveillance tech expert turned reluctant vigilante. With a vibe that borrows from Death Wish and Jason Bourne, the film delivers slick set pieces, familiar genre beats, and a central performance that’s more restrained than revolutionary. Will explores how The Amateur flirts with deeper character nuance, particularly in its depiction of Malek’s potentially autistic-coded lead. Though the film never explicitly confirms it, the character’s traits raise questions about representation in action movies and whether the film embraces or falls back on tired tropes. Alongside Malek, the film features a solid supporting cast: Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Laurence Fishburne, John Bernthal, Holt McCallany (Mindhunter), and Julianne Nicholson. Some standout moments include inventive “trap-like” set pieces and moody, high-rise shootouts that pop in premium formats. But Will questions if that’s enough to elevate an otherwise middle-of-the-road revenge thriller. Will Ashton returns with another Instant Take, this time tackling The Amateur, a new action-thriller starring Rami Malek (Mr. Robot, Bohemian Rhapsody) as a surveillance tech expert turned reluctant vigilante. With a vibe that borrows from Death Wish and Jason Bourne, the film delivers slick set pieces, familiar genre beats, and a central performance that’s more restrained than revolutionary. Will explores how The Amateur flirts with deeper character nuance, particularly in its depiction of Malek’s potentially autistic-coded lead. Though the film never explicitly confirms it, the character’s traits raise questions about representation in action movies and whether the film embraces or falls back on tired tropes. Alongside Malek, the film features a solid supporting cast: Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Laurence Fishburne, John Bernthal, Holt McCallany (Mindhunter), and Julianne Nicholson. Some standout moments include inventive “trap-like” set pieces and moody, high-rise shootouts that pop in premium formats. But Will questions if that’s enough to elevate an otherwise middle-of-the-road revenge thriller. Links: Email your feedback for the show to cinemaholicspodcast [at] gmail.com Join our Discord and chat with us! We have a Cinemaholics channel here. Check out our Cinemaholics Merch! Check out our Patreon to support Cinemaholics! Connect with Cinemaholics on Facebook and Instagram. Email your feedback for the show to cinemaholicspodcast [at] gmail.com Join our Discord and chat with us! We have a Cinemaholics channel here. Check out our Cinemaholics Merch! Check out our Patreon to support Cinemaholics! Connect with Cinemaholics on Facebook and Instagram. Support our show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cinemaholicsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Will Ashton is back with a solo Instant Take on Novocaine, the action-comedy-romance hybrid starring Jack Quaid (The Boys) as a pain-insensitive bank employee who becomes an unlikely action hero. Directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen (Villains), this film surprised Will with its surprising charm. But also its creative premise, and solid central performances, too. Based on the real-life condition CIP (congenital insensitivity to pain), Novocaine walks a tonal tightrope between over-the-top violence and sincere character development. Will shares why Jack Quaid’s “young Tom Hanks” energy works so well here. Especially alongside Amber Midthunder (Prey), and how the film balances disability representation with fun genre thrills. Will also unpacks some of the film’s weaknesses, including uneven comedy, some clunky reveals, and a few undercooked side characters. But overall, this one came in above expectations and might just be Jack Quaid’s best leading role to date. Also starring Ray Nicholson, Betty Gabriel (Get Out), and Matt Walsh, Novocaine delivers quirky action, gory visuals, and a lot of heart…even if it sometimes plays it too safe. Links: Email your feedback for the show to cinemaholicspodcast [at] gmail.com Join our Discord and chat with us! We have a Cinemaholics channel here. Check out our Cinemaholics Merch! Check out our Patreon to support Cinemaholics! Connect with Cinemaholics on Facebook and Instagram. Support our show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cinemaholicsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.