On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) looked at The Entertainment Strategy Guy’s breakdown of podcast stats and asked if this truly was “the podcast election.” Then they reviewed Kraven the Hunter , a movie so bad it killed an entire cinematic universe. (Kinda.) Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for our bonus episode looking ahead to 2025. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!...
Dec 17, 2024•36 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discussed a controversial (or possibly nontroversial?) op-ed in the New York Times asking if “the awkward diversity era” of blockbuster filmmaking is over. (Gift link there so you should be able to read it.) Then they reviewed Amy Adams’s new movie Nightbitch , in which she plays a mother pushed to the brink by her unsatisfying home life. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ for our b...
Dec 10, 2024•38 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask if it matters that people prefer AI slop to art produced by real-world hacks. (Kinda?) Then they review Wicked , a movie that’s half a movie despite being 160 minutes long. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for a discussion of Juror Number 2 , out on VOD today. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!...
Dec 03, 2024•42 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) examine a shocking story in Vanity Fair by Vincenzo Barney about the legendary writer Cormac McCarthy’s “secret muse,” Augusta Britt, whom the 42-year-old writer met when the girl was just 16. Then they review Gladiator II , a disappointing retread of the original. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday to hear what we’re thankful for. And if you enjoyed this episode, please s...
Nov 26, 2024•41 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask if the Jake Paul/Mike Tyson “fight” that was “watched” (when they could get the stream to work) by “60 million people” (okay I’ll stop with the scare quotes) represents the future of streaming. Then they reviewed A Real Pain , Jesse Eisenberg’s new film about a pair of very different cousins on a tour of their family’s heritage sites. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday...
Nov 19, 2024•39 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) asked if wall-to-wall celebrity endorsements might have backfired on Kamala Harris. Then they reviewed Anora , a movie fascinating in both its sympathies and its judgments. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ for Friday’s bonus episode on the best movies of the decade (so far!). And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!
Nov 12, 2024•43 min
On this Election Day’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss Warner Bros. baffling decision to bury Clint Eastwood’s Juror No. 2 . Why deprive young fogeys like this trio of a primo legal procedural from an aging master? Then they reviewed Conclave , another movie holding well at the box office designed to appeal to precisely the same market that Eastwood’s movie would have been aimed at. Is this Vatican-set thriller worth...
Nov 05, 2024•41 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask if comic book legend Alan Moore is right to blame toxic fandom and arrested development for the rise of Trump. Then they review Venom: The Last Dance , a movie that’s bad … but watchably so? Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ for some election even distraction suggestions. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!...
Oct 29, 2024•35 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss both AI witchhunts and Blumhouse’s decision to partner Meta with filmmakers in an effort to bring AI into the filmmaking fold. (You can watch the video/ad by Aneesh Chaganty we discussed here .) Then, in a slight departure for the podcast, we discuss a book: Neal Stephenson’s Polostan , the first entry in his forthcoming Bomb Light Cycle. Historical fiction examining the...
Oct 22, 2024•50 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask if social media influencers are the new Hollywood A-Listers. (Spoiler: they’re not. They’re something older and potentially much lamer but also maybe more interesting.) Then they review Saturday Night , a movie that revels in the excitement of The New. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ for a bonus episode on SNL movies! And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend....
Oct 15, 2024•43 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the dread toxic fandom , every executive’s favorite scapegoat for why their product failed to find an audience. Then they review Joker: Folie à Deux , one of the most disastrous sequels ever made. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for a discussion of sequels that have no reason to exist. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!...
Oct 08, 2024•40 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask why so few watch Netflix’s prestige pictures, and if it really matters. Then they discuss Francis Ford Coppola’s long-in-gestation epic fable, Megalopolis . Yes, it’s a mess, but is it a brilliant one? Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ for our bonus episode on the mobile Criterion closet. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!
Oct 01, 2024•47 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the $2.2 billion in improvements to movie theaters, which are looking to add more premium screens and more … ziplines and pickleball courts? What could go wrong! Then they review Wolfs , which hits AppleTV+ on Friday and had a limited run in theaters last weekend. We mostly avoided spoiler talk in this episode since the movie isn’t widely accessible yet, and Sonny ranted...
Sep 24, 2024•38 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss Francis Ford Coppola’s libel suit against Variety, as well as a whacky idea for the theatrical presentation of Megalopolis . Then they review Rebel Ridge , a movie with a message. Were Sonny and Peter suckered in by the film’s message? Make sure to swing by for our bonus episode on Friday about thrillers with a conscience. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a...
Sep 17, 2024•41 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss why indie studios like Neon can’t really afford great films like Hit Man anymore. Then they review Beetlejuice Beetlejuice , a nostalgia play with too many new elements. Thanks again to everyone who showed up for the live show in Dallas and the happy hour in Austin; it was great to see you. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!
Sep 10, 2024•42 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss Bloomberg’s odd decision to bury Olivia Nuzzi’s interview show. (For background, make sure to read Ben Smith’s story on the matter .) Then they review A Quiet Place: Day One , which hit Paramount+ recently. Is the latest from the director of Pig worth a stream? Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for our bonus episode looking ahead to award season cinema. And if you...
Sep 03, 2024•40 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the Megalopolis trailer disaster. (Plus: AI ranks the Across the Movie Aisle hosts!) Then they reviewed Blink Twice , a movie that prizes its message over its drama but doesn’t have a good hold on its message either. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for a bonus episode on the cultural detritus of the Obama era . And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it wi...
Aug 27, 2024•38 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discussed a strange casting choice in the cons and nons segment before reviewing Alien: Romulus . We also teased this week’s bonus episode about the Alien franchise and its shift from a series about Ellen Ripley’s efforts to survive to a series more explicitly about the Weyland-Yutani corporation; if you aren’t a member, and would like to hear it when it drops on Friday, you can...
Aug 20, 2024•43 min
Before we get started: we have a Bulwark Live event in Dallas on September 5 featuring Sarah, Tim, Bill, and special guest Adam Kinzinger (as well as myself), and then a bunch of us will be down in Austin on September 6 and 7 as part of the Texas Tribune Festival. Come hang out! — SB On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss Joaquin Phoenix’s puzzling decision to abandon Todd Haynes’s film at the last minute. Th...
Aug 13, 2024•43 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) review Deadpool & Wolverine , the first $200 million opening movie in two-and-a-half years. It’s definitely a movie! Then they discuss Homicide: Life on the Street , a beloved show that’s finally hitting streaming. But there’s one small problem. Make sure to swing by Friday for our summer reading bonus episode. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!...
Jul 30, 2024•40 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask if Hollywood is to blame for the rise of J.D. Vance thanks to Netflix’s Oscar-bait biopic, Hillbilly Elegy . Then they review Twisters , the first real popcorn hit of the summer. Make sure to swing by Friday for a bonus episode about Hollywood’s role in propping up, and then tearing down, the Biden campaign. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!...
Jul 23, 2024•36 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the best movies and TV shows from the first half of 2024. It’s been an interesting year so far; what’s on the top of our lists? Then we review Fly Me to the Moon , a movie that asks what if we had to fake the moon landing to sell the moon landing? Is it worth checking out in theaters? Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ this Friday for a remembrance of Shannon Doherty, Shelle...
Jul 16, 2024•41 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the merger of Skydance and Paramount and David Ellison’s place in the Hollywood firmament. Then we review Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F , a legacyquel of the highest caliber! (It’s fine.) Make sure to swing by Friday for our bonus episode on Jon Landau and a tribute to producers more generally. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!
Jul 09, 2024•37 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) have questions about the Microsoft AI head’s understanding of Fair Use, as it relates to copyright. Then they review Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter One. Does Kevin Costner still have that old western magic? Or is this simply too sprawling and unfocused to work? Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for our bonus episode on Bridgerton and Netflix’s foray into live events....
Jul 02, 2024•45 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss two new movies this week. First up is Inside Out 2 , which is smashing box office records for an animated film. But is it any good? And then they discuss The Bikeriders , Jeff Nichols’s new picture that might be described as “Midwestern Motorcycle Club Goodfellas .” On this Friday’s bonus episode, we’re going to pay homage to Donald Sutherland, so we hope you swing by fo...
Jun 25, 2024•39 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss Sony Pictures Entertainment’s purchase of the Alamo Drafthouse. Then they review Richard Linklater’s Hit Man , the new film starring (and cowritten by) Glen Powell. Is it a frothy romcom filled with sexy, silly fun? Or is there something a bit deeper? Make sure to swing by for our bonus episode on Friday for our Summer preview. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it w...
Jun 18, 2024•39 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the shuttering of a franchised chain of Alamo Drafthouses. What does this mean for the theatrical industry writ large? Then they reviewed Bad Boys: Ride or Die , a movie that will appeal greatly to anyone who likes boys who are bad. Make sure to swing by Friday for an in-depth discussion into Will Smith, a walking-talking nons and cons. And if you enjoyed this episode, p...
Jun 11, 2024•34 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask how we wound up in a future in which people pull out their cell phone cameras to tape Chipotle’s burrito artisans in order to get a little extra rice and beans. Is the burrito panopticon the future we signed up for? And then they review The Last Stop in Yuma County , Francis Galluppi’s shockingly great debut noir. It’s on VOD now, they all hope you check it out. Make sure to...
Jun 04, 2024•34 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) debate OpenAI’s use of a voice that sounds suspiciously like Scarlett Johansson. Then they head into the Wasteland to review Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Make sure to swing by Friday for an apocalyptic bonus episode. And if you liked this episode, please share it with a friend!
May 29, 2024•44 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the rise of YouTube as a serious vector for televisual consumption. Then they review The Idea of You , a movie that doesn’t really work on any level yet has put up bonkers numbers for Prime Video . If you enjoyed the episode, please share it with a friend! A programming note: No bonus episode this Friday thanks to the upcoming holiday, but that just gives you more reason...
May 21, 2024•43 min
