Backrooms

For this bonus episode of Thank God for Movies, Jon Negroni and Will Ashton reunite to review the new Scary Movie! It's the long-awaited return of the spoof franchise that helped define early-2000s parody comedy, of course. With the Wayans brothers back, Anna Faris returning as Cindy Campbell, Regina Hall back as Brenda Meeks, and a whole new batch of horror movies to reference, the question is simple. Does Scary Movie (2026) revive the franchise, or just remind us why this kind of comedy disappeared? Jon and Will dig into why the movie’s “no safe spaces” marketing feels more like a hollow grift than an actual comic philosophy, how its jokes stack up against the earlier Scary Movie films, and why Scary Movie 3 might still be the franchise’s high point. We also talk about the difference between real parody and simply naming recent movies, from Scream (2022), Halloween, M3GAN, Longlegs, The Substance, Get Out, Weapons, Sinners, Nosferatu, and KPop Demon Hunters to the missed opportunity of satirizing elevated horror, A24 dread, and modern “requel” culture. SHOW NOTES: 00:00:00 – Intro: New movies on our radar 00:11:20 – Review: Scary Movie (2026) LINKS: Email your feedback for the show to cinemaholicspodcast [at] gmail.com Join our Discord and chat with us! We have a TGFM channel here. Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Thank God for Movies, special guest Brogan Luke Bouwhuis joins the show with Jon Negroni! Brogan is an InBetweenDrafts film writer, film programmer, and co-host of Franchise Fiends. And he's here to talk about Masters of the Universe, the 2026 live-action He-Man reboot starring Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Idris Elba, Alison Brie, and Jared Leto as Skeletor. With Will Ashton sitting this one out due to what can only be described as a dark personal history with Eternia, we dig into why this long-delayed Mattel blockbuster feels stranded between decades. In fact, we discuss the movie’s troubled development history, Travis Knight’s role as director, the odd timing of He-Man nostalgia, and why a film based on such a knowingly silly toy-line mythology keeps apologizing for being a Masters of the Universe movie. Lastly, check out Jon's review of Masters of the Universe here, Brogan's review here, and Brogan's piece about Mattel blockbusters here. SHOW NOTES: 00:00:00 – Intro: Welcoming back Brogan! 00:05:40 – Review: Masters of the Universe (2026) LINKS: Email your feedback for the show to cinemaholicspodcast [at] gmail.com Join our Discord and chat with us! We have a TGFM channel here. Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Thank God for Movies, Jon Negroni and Will Ashton dive into Backrooms, the surprise A24 horror sensation from 20-year-old filmmaker Kane Parsons. But first, we unpack the bigger story around the movie... How have Backrooms and Obsession, two low-budget horror films from extremely young directors, been outpacing Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu? Are they signaling a possible shift in what younger moviegoers actually want from theaters? SHOW NOTES: 00:00:00 – Intro: A new horror film wave?! 00:16:25 – Review: Backrooms LINKS: Email your feedback for the show to cinemaholicspodcast [at] gmail.com Join our Discord and chat with us! We have a TGFM channel here. Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For this bonus episode of Thank God for Movies, Jon Negroni welcomes back longtime friend of the show Cory Woodroof, writer for For the Win/USA Today. And yes, this is Cory's first appearance since our TGFM rebrand! The mission: unpack Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, Disney’s big-screen continuation of the Disney+ series and the first theatrical Star Wars movie in seven years. SHOW NOTES: 00:00:00 – Summer Movie Preview 00:09:05 – Review: Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu LINKS: Email your feedback for the show to cinemaholicspodcast [at] gmail.com Join our Discord and chat with us! We have a TGFM channel here. Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Jon Negroni and Will Ashton review two new films: Curry Barker's 'Obsession' and Sophy Romvari's 'Blue Heron.' SHOW NOTES: 00:00:00 – Intro 00:04:45 – Have you seen it: Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, I Love Boosters, Passenger, Tuner, Corporate Retreat, Saccharine, In the Grey, Is God Is, The Wizard of the Kremlin, Mortal Kombat II, Silent Friend, The Sheep Detectives, Billie Elish: Hit Me Hard and Soft. 00:25:45 – Review: Obsession 00:58:40 – Review: Blue Heron LINKS: Email your feedback for the show to cinemaholicspodcast [at] gmail.com Join our Discord and chat with us! We have a TGFM channel here. Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a longer-than-usual break, Jon and Will return with a catch-up episode on The Devil Wears Prada 2, plus a wide-ranging conversation about the strange state of the summer movie season and what we've missed lately, from studio blockbusters and horror releases to indie films that may have slipped through the cracks. SHOW NOTES: 00:00:00 – Have you seen it: Hokum, Michael, Animal Farm, Deep Water, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime the Movie: Tears of the Azure, RZA's One Spoon of Chocolate, Our Hero Balthazar, Lee Cronin's The Mummy, Desert Warrior, Over Your Dead Body, Normal 00:35:45 – Review: The Devil Wears Prada 2 LINKS: Email your feedback for the show to cinemaholicspodcast [at] gmail.com Join our Discord and chat with us! We have a TGFM channel here. Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jon and Will dive into Pixar’s Hoppers, a funny, weird, surprisingly dark original that feels like a real test case for the studio’s future beyond sequels. They talk Bobby Moynihan stealing the movie, Jon Hamm’s silly-guy energy, Pixar’s recent slump, and whether Hoppers is a true return to form or just a charming anomaly. Also in this episode: Film Roulette, the naming of the new show logo mascot, and a brief but inevitable detour into Pixar Theory. Show Notes: 00:00:00 – Intro: Winner of our logo competition 00:07:05 – Film Roulette: Wuthering Heights, 10 Things I Hate About You, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die, Joe's College Road Trip, The Lost Bus, Pillion, A Mighty Win (2003), Retirement Plan, Nirvana the Band the Show the Movie 00:17:15 – Review: Hoppers LINKS: Email your feedback for the show to cinemaholicspodcast [at] gmail.com Join our Discord and chat with us! We have a TGFM channel here. Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SHOW NOTES: 00:00:00 – Intro: Classic Jon/Will banter 00:07:50 – Tribute: The life and career of Catherine O'Hara 00:19:30 – Review: Send Help This week on Thank God for Movies, Jon Negroni and Will Ash review Send Help, the newest film directed by Sam Raimi. Starring Rachel McAdams and Dylan O'Brien, critics have been vomiting their praise for this one. But will we be thanking god for this movie? Guess you'll have to tune in to find out. We also kick off the show with a tribute to the life and career of the legendary Catherine O'Hara, who sadly passed away on January 30 of this year. Also. The other week, we asked all you listeners to name our new logo of the “reel on fire.” We narrowed it down a bit, and we want you all to help us make the final decision. Email us ([email protected]) with your ranking of the names, or find our poll on our Facebook page to see the contenders. THE CONTENDERS: The Eternal Projection – Eleanor P. Reelie Tho – FilmGoblin HotSpool – Cryptid Cinemaholics – Sarah J. Reel Hot Take – Mike D. Fire and Splice – ScorseseDidNothing Wrong Hot Reel – Josh P. Hotger Reelbert – PleaseStopNamingThings Reel World Consequences – Priya N. A Reel Pain – Kevin The Projection Demon – NightScreen Movies – Thisisthebestname Little ASHton – Ashley B. The Snyder Cut – Josh M. Spicy Take – Jasmine R. Hotshot – Alex D. Fire Wheel Steve – Olivia T. Flamin’ Hot Criterio – Madison G. LINKS: Email your feedback for the show to cinemaholicspodcast [at] gmail.com Join our Discord and chat with us! We have a TGFM channel here. Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SHOW NOTES: 00:00:00 – Logo competition: We discuss the contenders! 00:09:30 – Review: The Rip 00:44:55 – Review: The Testament of Ann Lee This week on Thank God for Movies, Jon Negroni and Will Ash discuss the Netflix film The Rip, starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. Joe Carnahan directed and wrote the film. Next, we tackle The Testament of Ann Lee starring Amanda Seyfried. Directed by Mona Fastvold and co-written by Brady Corbet, it's a quasi-musical about the founding of the Shakers movement. Why didn't this movie get any Oscar attention? Let's discuss! Also. Last week, we asked all you listeners to name our new logo of the "reel on fire." We narrowed it down a bit, and we want you all to help us make the final decision. Email us ([email protected]) with your ranking of the names, or find our poll on our Facebook page to see the contenders. THE CONTENDERS: The Eternal Projection - Eleanor P. Reelie Tho - FilmGoblin HotSpool - Cryptid Cinemaholics - Sarah J. Reel Hot Take - Mike D. Fire and Splice - ScorseseDidNothing Wrong Hot Reel - Josh P. Hotger Reelbert - PleaseStopNamingThings Reel World Consequences - Priya N. A Reel Pain - Kevin The Projection Demon - NightScreen Movies - Thisisthebestname Little ASHton - Ashley B. The Snyder Cut - Josh M. Spicy Take - Jasmine R. Hotshot - Alex D. Fire Wheel Steve - Olivia T. Flamin' Hot Criterio - Madison G. LINKS: Email your feedback for the show to cinemaholicspodcast [at] gmail.com Join our Discord and chat with us! We have a TGFM channel here. Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Thank God For Movies, Jon and Will review Dead Man's Wire (directed by Gus Van Sant) and No Other Choice (directed by Park Chan-wook). We also kick things off with a game of Film Roulette, covering the highest-grossing films of 2025 at the domestic box office. We also begin the show discussing the transition to our new name. And we put a big question to all you listeners. What should we name our new flaming film reel character? Email your suggestions for a possible prize(?) to [email protected]. And special thanks to listener Jason Leopard for creating our new theme music! Show Notes: 00:00:00 – Film Roulette: The Highest-Grossing Films of 2025 Domestically 00:22:55 – Review: Dead Man's Wire 00:51:20 – Review: No Other Choice Links: Email your feedback for the show to cinemaholicspodcast [at] gmail.com Join our Discord and chat with us! We have a TGFM channel here. Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.