2023 was a huge year for new and exciting entertainment! Not only did streaming platforms continue dishing out original movies and shows, but movie theaters were continuing to release new cinematic experiences on the big screen. Chris and Taylor dish out and discuss their Top 10 favorite and worst/disappointing films and TV series of 2023. Follow us on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepotentialpodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepotentialpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/th...
Jan 09, 2024•58 min
Chris and Taylor review the science fantasy black comedy film Poor Things written by Tony McNamara and directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. Based on the novel of the same name by Alasdair Gray, the plot focuses on Bella Baxter, a young Victorian woman who, after being crudely resurrected by a scientist following her suicide, runs off with a debauched lawyer to embark on an odyssey of self-discovery and sexual liberation. The film stars Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Christopher A...
Jan 05, 2024•13 min
Spoiler Warning! Chris and Taylor review the Netflix space opera film Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire written by Zack Snyder, Kurt Johnstad and Shay Hatten with direction by Snyder. Set in a fictional galaxy ruled by the imperialistic Motherworld, a former Imperium soldier ventures on a quest to recruit warriors from across the galaxy to make a stand against the Imperium before they destroy her new home farming colony. The film stars Sofia Boutella, Djimon Hounsou, Ed Skrein, Michiel Huis...
Jan 04, 2024•18 min
Chris and Taylor review the christmas comedy-drama film, The Holdovers, directed by Alexander Payne, written by David Hemingson. Set in 1970, it follows a bad-tempered history teacher at a New England boarding school who is forced to chaperone a handful of students with nowhere to go on Christmas break. The film stars Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa, Carrie Preston, Gillian Vigman and Tate Donovan. Follow us on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepotentialpodcast/ Faceboo...
Jan 03, 2024•10 min
Chris and Taylor review the musical fantasy film, Wonka, directed by Paul King, who co-wrote the screenplay with Simon Farnaby, based on a story by King. It tells the origin story of Willy Wonka, a character in the 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, featuring his early days as a chocolatier. The film stars Timothée Chalamet in the title role and an ensemble cast including Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Sally Hawkins, Rowan At...
Dec 22, 2023•17 min
Chris and Taylor review the christmas fantasy comedy film, Dashing Through the Snow, directed by Tim Story, written by Scott Rosenberg. In the film, after a traumatic experience, Eddie Garrick, a social worker, no longer believes in the magic of Christmas. At the request of his estranged wife, he brings his daughter Charlotte to work where a magical adventure begins for them. The film stars Lil Rel Howery, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Teyonah Parris, Gina Brillon, Oscar Nunez, Madison Skye Validum,...
Dec 21, 2023•14 min
Chris and Taylor review season 2 of the christmas comedy television series, The Santa Clauses, created by Jack Burditt for Disney+ and based on The Santa Clause film series. In this season, the Calvin family is back at the North Pole, as Scott Calvin continues his role as Santa Claus after his retirement plans were thwarted when he failed to find a successor; now that Christmas has been saved, Scott focuses on training his son Cal. The series features Tim Allen, Elizabeth Mitchell, Austin Kane, ...
Dec 20, 2023•15 min
Spoiler Warning! Chris and Taylor review the second season of the Marvel/Disney+ series Loki created by Michael Waldron. After dealing with He Who Remains, Loki and his closest allies must work together to stop the TVA from being destroyed. The series stars Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbratha-Raw, Wunmi Mosaku, Tara Strong, Eugene Cordero, Sophia Di Martino, Jonathan Majors, Rafael Casal, and Ke Huy Quan. Follow us on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepotentialpodcast/ Facebook: htt...
Dec 15, 2023•25 min
Chris and Taylor review the japanese kaiju Godzilla Minus One (Japanese: ゴジラ-1.0マイナスワン, Hepburn: Gojira Mainasu Wan ) directed, written, and with visual effects by Takashi Yamazaki. Produced by Toho Studios and Robot Communications and distributed by Toho, it is the 37th film in the Godzilla franchise, Toho's 33rd Godzilla film, and the fifth film in the franchise's Reiwa era. In the film, postwar Japan deals with the emergence of Godzilla. The film stars Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Ya...
Dec 14, 2023•15 min
The holidays are upon us! Chris and Taylor go back to a holidays 80s classic (yes this is a Christmas movie) and review the 1987 buddy cop action film Lethal Weapon directed and co-produced by Richard Donner, written by Shane Black, and co-produced by Joel Silver. It stars Mel Gibson and Danny Glover alongside Gary Busey, Tom Atkins, Darlene Love, and Mitchell Ryan. In Lethal Weapon , a pair of mismatched LAPD detectives—Martin Riggs (Gibson), a former Green Beret who has become suicidal followi...
Dec 13, 2023•14 min
Spoiler Review! Chris and Taylor review the action-adventure game Marvel's Spider-Man 2 which developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It is based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. It is the third entry in the Marvel's Spider-Man series, acting as a sequel to Marvel's Spider-Man (2018) and a follow-up to Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (2020). In this installment, Peter Parker and Miles Morales struggle to navigate the next steps in their personal...
Dec 08, 2023•18 min
Chris and Taylor review the dystopian action film, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, directed by Francis Lawrence from a screenplay by Michael Lesslie and Michael Arndt. Based on the 2020 novel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins, it serves as a prequel to The Hunger Games (2012), and is the fifth installment in The Hunger Games film series. Set 64 years before the events of the first film, its plot follows the events that lead a young Coriolanus Snow on t...
Dec 07, 2023•20 min
Chris and Taylor review the historical drama film Napoleon written by David Scarpa and directed by Ridley Scott. The film primarily depicts the French leader Napoleon Bonaparte's rise to power, his military conquests, as well as his relationship with Empress Joséphine. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix, Vanessa Kirby, Tahar Rahim, Rupert Everett, Ben Miles, Ludivine Sagnier, Matthew Needham, John Hollingworth, Youssef Kerkour, and Sinéad Cusack. Follow us on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/th...
Dec 06, 2023•18 min
Spoiler Warning! Chris and Taylor review the supernatural comedy horror series Goosebumps developed by Rob Letterman and Nicolas Stoller. Based on the book series by R.L. Stine, a group of five high schoolers embark on a shadowy and twisted journey to investigate the tragic passing three decades earlier of a teen named Harold Biddle - while also unearthing dark secrets from their parents' past. The series stars Zach Morris, Isa Briones, Miles McKenna, Ana Yi Puig, Will Price, Rob Huebel, Leonard...
Dec 01, 2023•17 min
Chris and Taylor review the comedy film, Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain, directed by Paul Briganti, produced by Judd Apatow and Jimmy Miller, and written by and starring the comedy troupe Please Don't Destroy. In the film, a fictionalized version of the group searches for a lost treasure that they had initially been searching for as kids. The film stars Martin Herlihy, John Higgins, Ben Marshall, Bowen Yang, Meg Stalter, X Mayo, Nichole Sakura, Cedric Yarbrough, Sunita Mani...
Nov 30, 2023•12 min
Chris and Taylor are back from a nice thanksgiving break with a second helping! Here they review the slasher film, Thanksgiving , directed by Eli Roth, from a screenplay written by Jeff Rendell and a story by Roth and Rendell, who produced with Roger Birnbaum. In the film, an axe-wielding maniac terrorizes residents of Plymouth, Mass., after a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy. Picking off victims one by one, the seemingly random revenge killings soon become part of a larger, sinister plan. The ...
Nov 29, 2023•14 min
Spoiler Warning! Chris and Taylor review the superhero television series Gen V developed by Craig Rosenberg, Evan Goldberg, and Eric Kripke. Serving as a spin-off of The Boys , the show follows a group of young adult superheroes at Godolkin University who put their moral boundaries to the test by competing for the university's top ranking and a chance to join The Seven. When the school's dark secrets come to light, they must decide what kind of heroes they want to become. The series stars Jaz Si...
Nov 17, 2023•25 min
Chris and Taylor review the action thriller film The Killer written by Andrew Kevin Walker and directed by David Fincher. Based on the French graphic novel of the same name by Alexis "Matz" Nolent, the film follows an assassin who gets embroiled in an international manhunt after a hit goes wrong. The film stars Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton, Charles Parnell, Arliss Howard, Kerry O'Malley, Sophie Charlotte, Emiliano Pernia, Gabriel Polanco and Sala Baker. Follow us on: Instagram: https://www....
Nov 16, 2023•14 min
Chris and Taylor review the western crime drama film, Killers of the Flower Moon, directed by Martin Scorsese from a screenplay he co-wrote with Eric Roth, based on the 2017 non-fiction book of the same name by David Grann. Set in 1920s Oklahoma, it focuses on a series of murders of Osage members and relations in the Osage Nation after oil was discovered on tribal land. Tribal members had retained mineral rights on their reservation, and whites sought to gain their wealth. The film stars Lily Gl...
Nov 15, 2023•21 min
Chris reviews the latest Nintendo Switch platform game Super Mario Bros. Wonder developed and published by Nintendo with direction by Shiro Mouri. Mario and his friends must traverse different lands within the Flower Kingdom to help collect Wonder Seeds to stop Bowser from unleashing his devious plan. Chris discusses game mechanics, power-ups, design, music, and the overall creativity of this latest edition in the Mario series. Follow us on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepotentialpodca...
Nov 10, 2023•11 min
Chris and Taylor review the action-adventure game, Assassin's Creed Mirage, which developed by Ubisoft Bordeaux and published by Ubisoft. The game is the thirteenth major installment in the Assassin's Creed series and the successor to 2020's Assassin's Creed Valhalla . While its historical timeframe precedes that of Valhalla , its modern-day framing story succeeds Valhalla 's own. Set in 9th-century Baghdad during the Islamic Golden Age—in particular during the Anarchy at Samarra—the story follo...
Nov 09, 2023•15 min
Taylor reviews the biographical comedy-drama film, Dumb Money, directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo. It is based on the 2021 book The Antisocial Network by Ben Mezrich and chronicles the GameStop short squeeze of January 2021. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Paul Dano, Pete Davidson, Vincent D'Onofrio, America Ferrera, Nick Offerman, Anthony Ramos, Sebastian Stan, Shailene Woodley, and Seth Rogen. Follow us on: Instagram: https://www....
Nov 08, 2023•7 min
Chris and Taylor review season 2 of the period romantic comedy television series, Our Flag Means Death, created by David Jenkins. In the season, Stede and Ed attempt to mend their romance, Izzy Hands begins to crack his hardened exterior and the Revenge crew is reunited once and for all. The series stars Rhys Darby, Taika Watiti, Con O'Neill, Ewen Bremner, Joel Fry, Samson Kayo, Nathan Foad, Vico Ortiz, Matthew Maher, David Fane, Nat Faxon, and Leslie Jones. Follow us on: Instagram: https://www....
Nov 03, 2023•17 min
Chris and Taylor review the supernatural horror film Five Nights at Freddy's, based on the video game series and franchise of the same name created by Scott Cawthon. Directed by Emma Tammi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Cawthon and Seth Cuddeback, from a story by Cawthon, Chris Lee Hill, and Tyler MacIntyre, the film stars a troubled security guard who accepts a night-time job at an abandoned family entertainment center, where he discovers its four animatronic mascots come alive and are prone...
Nov 02, 2023•16 min
Chris reviews the concert film Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour directed by Sam Wrench and produced by Taylor Swift. The film is a "cinematic rendering" of the Eras Tour, the sixth headlining concert tour by singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It represents Swift's discography conceptually in 10 different acts with dazzling production, spectacle, energy, direction, and Swift's artistry and showmanship. Follow us on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepotentialpodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook....
Nov 01, 2023•12 min
Chris and Taylor review the epic sci-fi action thriller, The Creator, a film produced and directed by Gareth Edwards, who co-wrote the screenplay with Chris Weitz. Set in 2070, 15 years after a nuclear detonation in Los Angeles and a war against artificial intelligence, an ex-special forces agent is recruited to hunt down and kill the "Creator," who has developed a mysterious weapon with the power to end the war. The film stars John David Washington, Madeleine Yuna Voyles, Gemma Chan, Ken Watana...
Oct 27, 2023•17 min
Chris and Taylor review the Netflix comedy film Old Dads written by Bill Burr and Ben Tishler with Bill Burr making his directorial debut. The film follows three men who after selling their business, find themselves out of step with the modern world. The film stars Bill Burr, Bobby Cannavale, Bokeem Woodbine, Katie Aselton, Reign Edwards, Jackie Tohn, Miles Robbins and Rachael Harris. Follow us on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepotentialpodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepo...
Oct 26, 2023•14 min
Chris and Taylor review the gothic horror drama television miniseries, The Fall of the House of Usher, created by Mike Flanagan. Loosely based on the short story of the same name and other works by Edgar Allan Poe, it premiered on Netflix. In the series, the CEO of a corrupt pharmaceutical company faces his questionable past when his children start dying in mysterious and brutal ways. The series stars Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Mary McDonnell, Henry Thomas, Kate Siegel, Rahul Kohli, Samantha...
Oct 25, 2023•15 min
Chris and Taylor review the supernatural horror film The Exorcist: Believer written by Peter Sattler and David Gordon Green with direction by Green. A widower must confront the nadir of evil when his daughter and her best friend are possessed. The film stars Leslie Odom Jr., Lidya Jewett, Olivia O'Neill, Jennifer Nettles, Norbert Leo Butz, Ann Dowd, Raphael Sbarge, Okwui Okpokwasili and Ellen Burstyn. Follow us on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepotentialpodcast/ Facebook: https://www.f...
Oct 20, 2023•23 min
Spoiler Warning! Chris and Taylor joined by Star Wars guru and friend Tim Fitzsimons as they review the sci-fi television mini series, Ahsoka , also known as Star Wars: Ahsoka , created and written by Dave Filoni for Disney+. It is part of the Star Wars franchise and a spin-off from the series The Mandalorian (2019–present), taking place in the same timeframe as that series and its other interconnected spin-offs after the events of Return of the Jedi (1983), while also serving as a continuation ...
Oct 19, 2023•34 min
