Across the Movie Aisle

On this week’s episode the gang tackles Sharon Waxman’s piece on David Zaslav and asks if he’s the problem with Hollywood … or its inevitable result? Then they review Steven Soderbergh and Ed Solomon’s new film about authenticity in art, The Christophers. Soderbergh is on a pretty amazing run since the foundation of this podcast, and we will be here for everything he does … but is this one for completists only? (Spoiler: no.) Make sure to swing by Thursday for our bonus episode on the world of art. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, Alyssa is on vacation so Sonny and Peter talked about smoking cigarettes and getting cancelled. (No, seriously: It’s cool to smoke again, maybe, and Outcome is Jonah Hill’s attempt to reckon with getting soft-canceled for entirely silly reasons.) Make sure to swing by Thursday for our bonus episode on Exit 8. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!

We’ve got a special bonus bonus episode this week with a special guest: Mike Pesca, of The Gist! You can check out Mike’s Substack here, including his famed “Asshole Tracker” for The Pitt, which is the subject of this week’s bonus bonus episode. Mike and I both love the show, though we have some nitpicks. (Peter’s only watched a couple of episodes; he just likes hanging out and talking about movies and TV shows with friends.) Anyway, this is a fun one, a little spicy, it’ll be available for subscribers only until Friday afternoon, I think. Give the paying folks a little something extra for their hard-earned dough, you know? If you want to sign up and join the convo, do so here!

On this week’s episode, we talked a bit about video game movies (tied loosely to this New York Times piece on the genre’s successes and struggles) and then dove into The Drama, the new Robert Pattinson/Zendaya film from A24. It’s a fun movie to talk about! We honestly only scratched the surface. If you have more thoughts, leave them in the comments!

On this week’s episode, we talk about Sora pulling the plug on its AI video division. What does that mean for the industry? Are movies simply too small for AI to waste compute on? Then we review The Housemaid, a movie that rests somewhere in the liminal space between enjoyable trash and outright garbage. Which way do we come down on it? You’ll have to listen to find out!

On this week’s episode, we discuss the killing of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot, which was unexpectedly spiked by Hulu after several months of dawdling. Then we reviewed Project Hail Mary, a movie Peter describes as “preposterously charming.” Is it that good? Listen to find out! And if you loved the movie, discuss with your fellow listeners (and your humble podcasters!) in the comments!

Sonny here. So, as I mentioned at the top of this episode—and as I warned you last week—this week is kind of a nightmare for all of us. Lots going on: I was out of the country; Alyssa was starting a new job; Peter was on the West Coast. So it took us an extra day to coordinate this. But here it is, nearly an hour long … for paying subscribers. The free listeners get the first 45 minutes or so; I had to leave a little something extra for the paying folks, you know? Anyway, we hope you enjoy this episode! It was a fun one to tape. Make sure to leave your comments and share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, I’m very pleased to be rejoined by Kevin Goetz, who is the guru of movie testing to discuss his latest book, How to Score in Hollywood. When you spend nine figures on a film and another eight figures marketing it, you want to know what works for audiences and what doesn’t, and Kevin’s the guy who can help you do that. He believes that nearly every movie—if it’s made for the right price and marketed to the right people—should be able to make money, and he’s happy to explain how his company, Screen Engine/ASI, can help make that hope a reality. Our discussion runs the gamut—from concept testing to post-screening focus groups to some Oscar chatter—and I hope you enjoy.

On this week’s episode, we discuss the silly kerfuffle surrounding Timothee Chalamet’s statement that he hopes movies don’t become a niche entertainment like opera and ballet. Then we review The Bride!, a movie that might force us to create a Madame Web Scale to fully comprehend its badness. Make sure to swing by movieaisle.substack.com on Thursday for our bonus episode. And if you enjoyed this one, please share it with a friend!

On this Tuesday’s episode, the gang discusses the merger of WB and Paramount Skydance. What does it mean for jobs, consumers, and … Batman? Then they review Scream 7. Alyssa’s never seen one of these movies: does she care for it? More importantly: Does she have ANY idea what’s going on? The answer probably won’t shock you! Make sure to swing by movieaisle.substack.com on Thursday for our bonus episode on horny fanfic. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend.