"The Fantastic Four: First Steps"

Xenomorphs get the prestige television treatment with Noah Hawley's Alien: Earth. Mashing up extraterrestrial horror with corpo-palace intrigue, the eight-episode first season looks to expand the world of the Ridley Scott classic. Does Hawley's acclaimed pedigree with Legion and Fargo hold promise for his new series? We review the first five episodes.

Zach Cregger follows up his 2022 surprise hit Barbarian with another bout of sneaky horror with Weapons. Centered around a town grappling with a singular classroom of missing children, Cregger's sophomore feature-length film turns a microscope into a Fresnel lens to heat up the rot of an empathy-starved community: safety, routine, and comfort crumbling into dust amidst hidden dangers and inexplicable tragedy. The question is, does it stick the landing? Tune in to our review to find out.

Leaving Cannes critics perplexed and polarized this spring, Ari Aster's Eddington takes aim at the fabric of the American zeitgeist. Is it the defining finger on the pulse of COVID-abetted brain rot? Or is it as groan-worthy as an "Ari Aster COVID movie" sounds? We discuss the film, Aster's filmography, and the prospect of assembling a political perspective through a fractured, dogshit Internet.

New Earth. Fresh start. The MCU's latest brings Marvel's First Family to the big screen in a retro-futuristic, sci-fi epic. Will a red-hot, A-list cast and a heavy-hitting, non-cloud Galactus finally give The Fantastic Four the movie it deserves? Or will a flagging franchise's recent pain points once again prove that Marvel is running out of steam? Tune in as we review The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

As Jeff calls it on his Letterboxd review: "A movie of surprisingly gentle compassion but also dudes getting their entire spinal columns hauled out of their neck holes." This week we review the reunion of Danny Boyle, Alex Garland, and Anthony Dod Mantle for 28 Years Later, over two decades after 28 Days Later changed the zombie genre forever. We talk about the film's emotional surprises, its misleading trailer, and its franchise future. Tune in!

James Gunn stewards a new DC Cinematic Universe with the hotly anticipated Superman. Starring David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Nathan Fillion, and Edi Gathegi, this new version of the Big Blue Boy Scout attempts to turn over a new leaf for a floundering franchise by taking pages from a rich tapestry of comics. Is it successful? We review the film, rank the silver screen Supermen, and talk about the future of DC at the movies.

Jeff is on vacation this week, so it's up to Derek and Amir to pull off the rare double feature episode. In a week of dueling popcorn blockbusters, which crowdpleaser — John Wick spinoff Ballerina or racing drama F1 — will reign supreme? We talk Ana De Armas, Brad Pitt, and the highs and lows of both movies.

Celine Song's followup to 2023's gem Past Lives explores the world of matchmaking through a spin on the classic love triangle. Song turns her signature gentle tension on its head with a take on modern dating and transactional matrimony. Is it successful? Will lightning strike twice for the Oscar-nominated filmmaker? Tune in and find out...

This installment of our What We're Watching series is a television catchup episode, where we discuss two big, recent hits — both in their second seasons — that we just haven't had time to cover in full: The Last of Us and The Rehearsal. Both headliners for Max (soon to be HBO Max again), the two series' sophomore seasons take giant swings. Do they connect? Listen to our review now.

Arguably one of the best action franchises of all time comes to a presumed end with Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning. Somehow, the most divisive entry yet, Christopher McQuarrie and Tom Cruise's latest attempt to save movies as champions of the analog finds Ethan Hunt once again fighting the rogue AI known as The Entity. Are its two barnburner stunt extravaganza's enough to stick the franchise's landing? Find out as we discuss our rankings, fan service, and the quest to preserve the moviegoing experience altogether.