On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the blight of the Inappropriate Laughers. (Here’s a gift link to the New York Times piece we reference.) Then they review I’m Still Here, the, uh, other foreign language film nominated for best picture at this year’s Oscars. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ for our bonus episode Friday on the next generation of movie stars. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!

Some websites and podcasts start putting out their best-of lists on December 1. Not Across the Movie Aisle. We want to make sure you had plenty of time to see all the award-season stuff. If it takes until February, well, so be it. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

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!

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss Scott Adams’s decision to commit reputational suicide by Twitter Cops. Then they heap praise upon Poker Face, the show worth subscribing to Peacock for. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for a deeper discussion of movie and TV detectives. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask if the decision to rewrite Roald Dahl to bring him more in line with the perspective of sensitivity readers is a controversy or a nontroversy. (The title of this podcast is a hint! For more on this insane story, make sure to check out Charlie’s newsletter.) Then they discuss the latest MCU blockbuster, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, a movie that looks like it’s half-done and feels like it’s half-written. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for our bonus episode about the state of the box office recovery. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask if all the famous faces at the Super Bowl mean it’s time to make selling out a dirty word again. Then they review Magic Mike’s Last Dance, a movie that doesn’t seem quite sure as to why it exists. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for an episode on Channing Tatum, one of our last movie stars. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

This week, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark) and Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post)* discussed Netflix’s plan to crack down on password sharing. It’s a fun story because there are lots of tiny violins to break out: not only for the people who think they should get something for nothing but also Netflix itself, for allowing/encouraging this behavior for so long. Then Alyssa and Sonny discuss Women Talking, the best picture nominee. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for our bonus episode ranking the streaming channels. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

*Sadly, Peter Suderman (Reason) is out; he’ll be back next week.

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) highlight the dumbest Oscar controversy of all time—did Andrea Riseborough’s friends send too many emails on her behalf in helping her secure a best actress nomination?—and try to explain the broader culture war reasons this has blown up into A Whole Thing. Then they review All Quiet on the Western Front, the Netflix original that secured nine Oscar nominations and hints, ever so subtly, that war might be bad. (The message is there, but it’s all subtext; only a keen viewer will discern it.) Make sure to swing by Friday for our bonus episode on antiwar films and whether any of them can truly be “antiwar.” And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason), ask what it means that Chinese theaters are apparently open again for Hollywood business. Then they discuss Netflix’s new murder mystery, The Pale Blue Eye: Is it a cut above Netflix’s standard hashtag-content, or something to watch while folding laundry on a Wednesday night? Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for our bonus episode on Edgar Allan Poe. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

This week, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the growing push for unionization in the visual FX industry. What will it mean for the industry—and for movie lovers—if special effects artists are treated like actual, you know, people. Then they discuss the first big hit of the new year, Blumhouse’s M3GAN. Is this your standard killer doll movie? Or is there something more? Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for a bonus episode on The Menu. And if you enjoyed this episode please share it with a friend! 

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask if they’ve all been focused on the wrong thing when it comes to the future of streaming. Movies, TV shows: none of these things really matter compared to … sports. At least, financially. And then they discuss Babylon, Damien Chazelle’s woozy and wicked ode to/condemnation of Old Hollywood excess. Sure, it’s a movie about movies, but hey: movies matter too! Speaking of which, on this week’s bonus episode we’re talking about movies about movies on this movie podcast about movies. Make sure to swing by and check it out!

Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ring in 2023 by looking back at 2022. What were their 10 (or so!) favorite films of last year?

This week, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) review the first of Rian Johnson’s two Knives Out sequels for Netflix, Glass Onion. Is it a mystery worthy of Benoit Blanc or something a little lesser? Before that, the gang discusses the biggest business stories of the year: streamers, sports, theaters, China, and more all get a mention. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to share it with a friend; listeners like you are our best advocates. And we hope you had a happy holiday!

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 share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) return to Pandora for James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water. Is the sequel 13 years in the making worth the wait? And then they discuss the oncoming streaming crunch. What does it mean that fewer shows will be made in the coming quarters? Make sure to swing back by Bulwark+ on Friday for a special bonus episode: it’s a James Cameron draft, people. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask if awards season fare has a place at the multiplex any longer. Are prestige pictures doomed to a streaming-only existence in the near future? Or will audiences come back? And then we review the streaming service Apple TV+’s award season venture Emancipation. Does it have a shot at Oscar gold? Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ this Friday for our bonus episode on streaming service Netflix’s awards season animated fare, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio. We are truly living in a golden age of stop-motion animation. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend! 

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) talk about the Sight and Sound’s decennial 100 Greatest Films of All Time list, which crowned a new champ … but not without controversy. Then we reviewed The Fabelmans, Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical movie about his childhood and how the art of film shapes his relationship with the world. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ for our bonus episode on Friday, in which we’re discussing Andor is it the latest Star Wars property to be “the best since Empire?” You better believe it! If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

On this week's episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason), talk about the sad state of Junot Diaz. Semafor's Ben Smith interviewed the novelist about his odd career limbo; why can't folks who were accused of misbehavior before being exonerated get their reputations back? Then the gang shifts to a cleaner Me Too target: Harvey Weinstein and the movie She Said, based on the book by Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor about their efforts to unveil the producer's monstrous behavior towards women. Sadly the movie isn't that good, and we try to understand why. (On this episode we also mention Ken Auletta's book, Hollywood Ending; Sonny talked to him a couple of months back about Weinstein and his enablers.)

Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for our bonus episode on Chinese protests against draconian Covid lockdowns and the desire among the people for “cinema freedom.”

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the late-night drama in Burbank, where former Disney CEO Bob Iger replaced current Disney CEO Bob Chapek. From tumbling stock prices to unhappy talent to a messy reorg, things weren’t going well … but is Iger the guy to right the ship? And then the gang reviews Martin McDonagh’s latest, The Banshees of Inisherin, a darkly comic parable about friendship in a time of civil war. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ for this week’s bonus episode on our favorite foodie movies. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) try to figure out why Warner Brothers can’t get a handle on one of their most valuable intellectual properties, the Harry Potter franchise. Then they review Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the MCU’s effort to grapple with the untimely death of Chadwick Boseman. Is it something you should rush out and see, or can you wait for it to show up on Disney+? Make sure to swing back by Bulwark+ on Friday for a special bonus episode in which we talk about books for kids and young adults that we love.

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) review one of the best movies of the year that very few of you have gone to see: Tár. It’s a great movie about the ambiguities of our moment with an absolutely wonderful performance by Cate Blanchett at its heart. Go see it! Before that, we had some laughs at Elon’s expense as we wondered what will happen to Twitter as Musk realizes he’s made a huge mistake. Make sure to swing back by Bulwark+ on Friday for our bonus episode, in which we’ll discuss our favorite movies of the year, pre-awards-season division. And if you enjoyed this episode—or know there’s someone in your life who can use some non-election-related podcasting while we wait for results—share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask if the New York Times is right to wonder if a backlash against diversity and casting and the #MeToo movement is upon us. Then they review Ticket to Paradise, a replacement-level romcom that tries to get by on the charms of two huge stars, George Clooney and Julia Roberts. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for our special bonus episode, when our producer Sebastian Hughes will be joining us to discuss Billy Eichner’s Bros. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask how much longer Kathleen Kennedy can stall the Star Wars theatrical slate. Then they discuss Black Adam, aka Murder Superman, and the movie’s interestingly muddled politics. Make sure to tune in on Friday for a House of the Dragon wrap up. How did the first season go? Will we be back for season number two? All that and more, this week on Across the Movie Aisle. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask why one of the world’s most popular musicians wants to buy one of the world’s worst social media apps, Parler, and also delve into the dangers of Elon Musk’s effort to buy Twitter. After that, they review Catherine, Called Birdy, Lena Dunham’s adaptation of a YA novel set during medieval times. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ for the bonus episode on Friday; we’re reviewing the critically acclaimed Netflix original, Athena. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

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 for a bonus episode on the enduring legacy of The Wizard of Oz. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason), bid farewell to Nikki Finke, the notoriously nasty maven of Hollywood gossip who revolutionized the trade magazine business at Deadline Hollywood Daily. Then they review Amsterdam, David O. Russell’s big-budget, star-heavy flop. What went wrong with this farce about fascism? Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ for our bonus episode on Friday, when we’re going to talk about the further entanglement of Disney and fantasy gambling site DraftKings. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend! 

This week, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask if it’s a controversy or a nontroversy that Billy Eichner blamed the straights for Bros bombing at the box office. Warning: there is journalist math in this section. 

And then we review Blonde, a tremendously depressing movie that goes on at great length. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for a special bonus episode on the tricky partnerships between news organizations and movie studios. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask if all the drama swirling about Jihad Rehab—the Sundance-selected documentary that some say never should have been made because the director is white while others say skirted questions of consent—is a controversy or a nontroversy. Then they review Don’t Worry Darling, a movie that dares to suggest that the dreamy life of the suburbs is actually, gasp, a stultifying nightmare. Make sure to swing back by Bulwark+ on Friday for their bonus episode on Avatar-mania. And if you enjoyed the episode, share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss Woody Allen’s not-quite-retirement announcement. Or “announcement.” What are we to do with his body of work? And then we discuss the hit series Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Is Middle Earth worth revisiting? Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for a special bonus episode comparing and contrasting The Rings of Power with another fantasy prequel: House of the Dragon. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend! Our most loyal listeners are our best evangelists. 

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the ways in which movie stars benefit from Netflix (huge paychecks!) and also how they’re ill-served by The Service (minimal promotion, which removes stars from the public eye). Is Netflix a boon or a secret curse for Hollywood’s biggest earners? 

Then the gang reviews Bodies Bodies Bodies, a social thriller that inverts the usual politics of such pictures. Bodies Bodies Bodies is the latest from A24, the indie distributor celebrating ten years of existence this year, and we’ll have more to say about that on our special members-only bonus episode this Friday. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss how the movie business fared this summer. It wasn’t terrible … and it could’ve been worse … but it certainly wasn’t great, either. And then the gang reviews Three Thousand Years of Longing, George Miller’s long-awaited follow-up to Mad Max: Fury Road. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ for the bonus episode on Friday, when we’re going to be talking about Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss some old-fashioned Hollywood gossip. Why is so much drama swirling about Olivia Wilde and her new movie, Don’t Worry Darling? And is it, weirdly or not-so-weirdly, helping the movie increase awareness and sell tickets to viewers? Is it tawdry prattle or classic Hollywood gossip-mongering? Why not both! (For a quick primer on all the ins and outs and what-have-yous of this scandal, check this story out or sign up for Puck and read this one by Matthew Belloni.) 

After all that, we cleanse our palates with some actual movie talk: Samaritan, the new Sly Stallone film that dropped on Prime Video this week. Is it a must-watch or an easy skip? Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for our special members-only bonus episode on the divergence between critics and audiences. If you enjoyed the episode, share it with a friend!

On this week’s show, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) break down the remarkably silly fight between NYT film critic Lena Wilson and Bodies Bodies Bodies star Amandla Stenberg, a tiff that feels like it could’ve been ripped from the movie Stenberg starred in and Wilson panned. And then the gang lets you know which new show is worth your time: She-Hulk: Attorney at Law or House of the Dragon. There are nigh-on infinite viewing options and just 24 hours in the day to view them, so we’re here to help you make the tough calls about what to watch and what to skip. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for more Game of Thrones talk in our members-only bonus episode. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

This week, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the shameful stance too many in the west took toward free expression and the ability of artists to do their work free of persecution or threat of violence from thuggish leaders like the Ayatollah of Iran. And then they review Prey, the latest entry in the Predator series now streaming on Hulu. Is it a good movie? Perhaps more importantly: is it a good Predator movie? Make sure to swing back by Bulwark+ on Friday for our bonus episode. And if you enjoyed this, share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode of Across the Movie Aisle, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) try to hash out the business reasons for, uh, throwing a whole movie into the trash can. Will WB ever #ReleaseTheBatgirl? We’ll see! And then they review Bullet Train, a movie that sounds like it should be awesome but is instead just … kind of flabby. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for a special bonus episode on trains. Buster Keaton, class politics, and Tony Scott: trains have it all, man! And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend.

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!

This week, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the oncoming movie drought. We’re hitting a period when no big movies are hitting theaters over the next couple of months—but why? Then they review a movie designed to be watched at home while folding your socks: The Gray Man. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) talk about Rolling Stone’s bombshell piece revealing that slightly more social media traffic around the so-called Snyder Cut was generated by bots than on the typical trending topic. And then the gang reviews Nope, Jordan Peele’s sci-fi-western-horror extravaganza. Is it a mess or profound or profoundly messy? Make sure to come back to Bulwark+ on Friday for a special bonus episode on alien design. From H.R. Giger to the Predator, what are some of the best, and worst, looks for aliens on the big screen? And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) review Where the Crawdads Sing, a movie playing exclusively in theaters. But before they do that, they ask if the “exclusively in theaters” part is a little, well, elitist, as suggested by Joe Russo in a recent interview. Make sure to swing back to Bulwark+ on Friday for a special bonus episode on southern storytelling. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) have a little bit of fun with the idea that the folx coding Netflix’s recommendation algo should have any say in what the algo actually delivers to people. (You can read the story they’re discussing here.) And then they review Thor: Love and Thunder. Did they love it or hate it? Who can say? Make sure to come back to Bulwark+ on Friday for our special members-only bonus episode, where we’ll be talking about the mysterious case of the aging movie star. If you enjoyed the episode, share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) try to figure out if the Gentleminion craze sweeping the nation—in which teens and tweens wear suits to see Minions: The Rise of Gru and get rowdy while doing so—is a controversy or nontroversy. Then they review Elvis! Make sure to swing by Friday for the special bonus episode on our own history of rowdy moviegoing. And if you loved the episode, share it with a friend! 

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss Netflix’s Spiderhead and the tumult at the world’s largest streamer. How is it that a film from the director of the biggest movie of the summer can release a movie starring a key part of the MCU and the star of one of Netflix’s biggest hits ever can just kind of … show up, and then disappear? How does this make sense from a business standpoint? Is the movie of the week model sustainable? Sadly, no bonus episode this week, as our travel/vacation schedules made coordinating impossible. 

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) try to figure out why Lightyear dramatically underperformed projections. Is this a function of new customer behavior, the burgeoning culture war Disney finds itself embroiled in, or both? And then the gang reviews Lightyear, which is at best fine and at worst not fine. Very not fine indeed. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ Friday for our conversation about the movies of 1995, sparked by Lightyear’s insistence that Lightyear is a movie that would have appealed to a child in 1995 (spoiler: it would not have). If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the ways in which entertainment companies and the media inadvertently highlight and promote marginalized racists, a phenomenon noted by Kat Rosenfield in this essay for Unherd. And then the gang reviews Jurassic World Dominion, the latest big dumb movie in a series full of big dumb movies. Make sure to come back to Bulwark+ Friday for our bonus episode on David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future! And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason Magazine) discuss why Top Gun: Maverick is succeeding and whether or not it codes “conservative,” like American Sniper or The Passion of the Christ. And then they review We Own This City, David Simon and George Pelecanos’s angry look at a real-life police scandal in Baltimore streaming now in full on HBO Max. Make sure to come back to Bulwark+ for this week’s bonus episode on Friday, in which we make some more streaming recommendations for you. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend! 

On this week’s Across the Movie Aisle, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) review the biggest hit of the summer (so far!), Top Gun: Maverick. Meanwhile, the gang discusses the pluses and minuses of “militainment,” entertainment in bed with the military-industrial complex. Make sure to head back to Bulwark+ on Friday for our discussion of what makes a great summer blockbuster.

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 your time? Will the ending make you laugh out loud? All that and more on this week’s episode! If you enjoyed it (or know someone who could use an Election Day distraction), please share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask whether or not the firing of Frank Langella (background here and here) was a controversy … or a nontroversy. Then they review Men, the new folk-horror flick from Alex Garland. What’s the matter with men—and Men? Make sure to come back for Friday’s bonus episode, in which we’ll discuss whether Tom Cruise is the last movie star or something a little weirder. And share this episode with a friend if you enjoyed it! 

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) try to figure out why Netflix had to clarify to their employees that hosting a breadth of content may mean working on something they disagree with ideologically. Doesn’t everyone work at a journal of ideas that tolerates dissenting viewpoints? And then they discuss Moon Knight, the Disney+ MCU series that is only mildly distinguishable from the other Disney+ MCU series despite dealing with gods and stuff. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ for our bonus episode on the renewed plague of advertisements. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) consider the bubbling controversy (or nontroversy?) surrounding the PG-13 rating for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Then the gang reviews the new Sam Raimi-directed feature. Is this a bog-standard MCU movie or something more? Make sure to come back to Bulwark+ Friday for our bonus episode on the wonderful world of mainstream cultist Sam Raimi. And share this episode with a friend if you enjoyed it! Your recommendation is the best advertising money can buy.