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Reel Phonies

A show where we mix an exuberant enthusiasm for movies and TV with not a lot of actual movie or TV knowledge
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Episodes

245 - Venom: The Last Dance

Tom Hardy is back for one final(?) turn as Venom. How does this film stack up against the prior two? And are these movies just Godzilla movies in disguise?

May 29, 202544 min

244 - Alien: Romulus

In this latest Alien entry (thankfully) not directed by Ridley Scott, a young, desperate crew seek deliverance in an abandoned space station only to find it's not as deserted as they anticipated. This film is both a standalone horror and an homage to the entire Alien franchise but does it accomplish either?

Apr 11, 202551 min

243 - Wicked

Possibly the most marketed film in human history, Wicked is a star-studded screen adaptation of a beloved Broadway musical. But how does it rank in the pantheon of musical adaptations? Do Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo do justice to these iconic roles? And why do the drum parts kick so much ass?

Mar 19, 202558 min

242 - Furiosa

Almost a decade after Fury Road, George Miller has turned the orange filter back on to tell more tales from the wasteland. Anya Taylor-Joy takes center stage as a young Furiosa battling for survival and freedom from the maniacal Dementus (Chris Hemsworth). But how does this movie stack against the other Mad Max entries? And is it better than its box office performance suggests?

Feb 19, 202539 min

241 - X-Men '97

The 90's are back and Cyclops is cool again! Join us as we'll be discussing the first 4 episodes of this modern continuation of the classic 90's show and seeing how it stacks up against other X-Men adaptations.

May 02, 202441 min

240 - The Marvels

On November 10, 2023, Marvel released a 100-minute long MCU title that not a single person on Earth saw. This week we are unearthing it from its floppy tomb to see if it really deserved to bomb as hard as it did.

Apr 18, 202436 min

239 - The Bear

If you like shows that make you feel stressed out, boy, have we got the thing for you. This week we're talking the first two seasons of The Bear, the critically acclaimed, half-hour drama that makes running a restaurant feel like diffusing bombs.

Apr 03, 202444 min

238 - Dune: Part 2

Paul Atreides returns in Part 2 of Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi epic Dune. Most of our favorite cast return (RIP Leto Atreides) and welcome new additions Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, and Christopher Walken. But how does this sequel hold up compared to its beloved predecessor?

Mar 19, 202449 min

237 - Madame Web

You know that one Spider-Man character that isn't Spider-Man or Venom or MJ or Green Goblin or Gwen Stacy or Doc Ock or J. Jonah Jameson or Spider-Woman or Carnage or Kingpin or Aunt May or Black Cat or Mysterio or Sandman or.....(you get the idea)? Anyway, this is a whole movie about Madame Web for some reason.

Mar 06, 202447 min

235 - Hidden Gems of 2008

The year is 2008: Marvel is taking a big swing by opening their own movie studio, Chris Nolan's Dark Knight makes a billion dollars, and Eli Manning and the Giants spoil the Patriot's perfect season. But not everything made the front page. We're here to dig up some hidden gems from this year including an overlooked Will Ferrell classic, a star-studded crime drama, and the Wachoski's divisive follow-up to the Matrix.

Feb 07, 202452 min

234 - Saltburn

The success of Emerald Fennell's latest film, Saltburn, proves eating the rich never goes out of style. Starring Barry Keoghan and Jacob Elordi, this occasionally gross, deeply unsubtle movie skewers the upper crust and probably anyone that's ever been to Oxford.

Jan 30, 202439 min

233 - Top Gun 3, The Mandalorian Movie, Last of Us Season 2 Casting

We're catching up on some December/January news including an announced casting for Abby in the second season of Last of Us, a director/writer reunion for a 28 Days Later sequel, updates on how Tom Cruise is moving the Hollywood machine, and a Jon Favreau directed movie starring helmet-head and baby Yoda.

Jan 23, 202445 min

231 - The Killer

Fight Club lovers rejoice! David Fincher is going back to the edgy, cynical well in his newest action thriller, The Killer. Featuring Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton, and a considerable amount of The Smith's discography, is this flick pandering to angsty, misanthropic fantasy or does it poke a little fun at its protagonist (and maybe its prospective audience)?

Jan 08, 202445 min

230 - Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

Scott Pilgrim takes it back to 2D in this reinterpretation of the original graphic novel that fleshes out more of its star-studded cast. Featuring tremendously stylish animation and a killer soundtrack, how does this TV series stack up to the highly esteemed Edgar Wright film?

Dec 12, 202336 min

229 - Attack on Titan

As this 10-year fantasy epic draws to a close, we reflect on some of the highs and lows of the best show about giant monsters eating people. We cover the divisive finale, some of the most memorable moments from the series, and why it absolutely should have ended with a movie. (...we also talk about Spider-Man 3 again)

Dec 04, 20231 hr 4 min

227 - Halloween Horror for Cowards: The Babysitter

For our slasher pick this year, we found an 80's satire somewhere between Scream and Scary Movie: McG's The Babysitter. If you came here for meaningful metaphors and sharp social commentary, you may want to look elsewhere; if you want to see hot teens(?) getting murdered, this is the movie for you.

Oct 31, 202339 min

226 - Halloween Horror for Cowards: Barbarian

We continue our series of scary movies for wimps with a movie that probably isn't for wimps: Barbarian. This horror film about an AirBnB gone awry, written and directed by Whitest Kids U'Know alum Zach Cregger, starts with some heavy tension and only goes downhill from there.

Oct 20, 202340 min

225 - Halloween Horror for Cowards: No One Will Save You

As we enter the spookiest month of the year, these three wimps face our fears and watch a bunch of scary movies. First up this year, a home invasion horror with an extraterrestrial twist and some generally fantastic production quality. Join us as we talk about this Hulu exclusive horror/thriller: No One Will Save You.

Oct 06, 202340 min

224 - The Flash

The last remnant of a DC universe gone by, The Flash brings back some familiar faces, young and old, to anchor this time-traveling adventure. But does patchwork franchise starring a problematic lead justify its big gamble? Or was this record-setting box office flop a little better than its reputation?

Sep 26, 202340 min

223 - Ahsoka

One of the most beloved additions to the Star Wars universe, Ahsoka Tano finally makes her live-action debut in an epic adventure to stop a threat to a burgeoning republic. Does this new series recapture some classic Star Wars magic? Or is Disney just adding more padding to justify their streaming service?

Sep 16, 202347 min

222 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

The turtles are back and more teenage than ever! This star-studded Seth Rogen reboot brings new life to familiar characters as the turtles venture into the human world and wrestle with how they fit in it.

Sep 08, 202338 min

221 - Superman Casting, Deadpool 3 Leaks, Wonka Trailer

We're catching up on as much post-strike news as possible including the reunion of the Coen brothers, Guillermo del Toro's next classic monster movie, Fantastic Four casting retractions, and trailers for Ahsoka, Ridley Scott's Napoleon, and Loki season 2.

Aug 17, 202348 min

220 - Barbenheimer

In honor of the greatest double feature of the decade, we're doing a special double episode for two of the most different movies imaginable, Greta Gerwig's Barbie and Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer.

Aug 04, 20231 hr 11 min

219 - Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

We join Indy on one last adventure as he once again battles hidden Nazis for control of the ultimate weapon: Time. But has Indy's time already passed? And how does the franchise hold up without the influence of its creators?

Jul 14, 202350 min

218 - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

In anticipation of the new last Indiana Jones film, we revisit the last last Indiana Jones movie, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It's got Tarzan vine swinging and some retrospectively questionable casting decisions but it also has more in common with the first 3 than you might think.

Jul 07, 202344 min

216 - Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Miles Morales is back for a visually spectacular, character-rich thrill ride in this virtuosic follow-up to the first Spider-Verse film. We can't even pretend to be on the fence about this one but help us count the ways in which Across the Spider-Verse is the best superhero movie of 2023.

Jun 13, 202356 min
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