Maximum Film! – Details, episodes & analysis

Naomi Ackie and Channing Tatum lead an ensemble cast of blissful (and, for a while, blissfully unaware) island-timers in mind- and genre-bending new movie BLINK TWICE.  Amber Benson (filmmaker, writer, and actor) joins us to uncover the secrets of Slater King’s mysterious island. Then we do a movie quiz about actors who’ve dabbled (and then some) in directing.

What’s Good
Alonso - general food quality in Italy/Europe
Drea - the Paralympics (and the release of A New York Story!)
Amber - pugs
Ify - traveling to London for his show at Leicester Square Theatre

ITIDIC

• TikTok May Be Driving More Folks to Theaters
• California Senate Passes a Law Requiring Consent for AI Replicas of Deceased Actors

Staff Picks
Alonso - Lover of Men
Drea - Rebel Ridge (and A New York Story!)
Amber - The Last of Sheila
Ify - Skywalkers: A Love Story

Slayers: A Buffyverse Story on Audible

Follow us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, or Letterboxd

With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

A book adaptation with cast of leading ladies to die for, three life stories, and only two hours to get it all out! We've got the smart and radiant Shar Jossell (newly elected President of NABJLA!) here with us to fill in the gaps. Then, we pitch some movies of our own, about unexpected celebrities in unexpected places.

What’s Good
Alonso - WHAMMY!
Drea - Photobook from Gidget
Shar - Strawberry horchata smoothie
Ify - LARP Bar with Amanda Turner in Austin

ITIDIC
Now Entering the Streaming Service Arena…Chick-fil-A?
Lionsgate Gets Into Trouble With Megalopolis Trailer

Staff Picks
Alonso - Something New
Drea - Tokyo Cowboy
Shar - Waiting to Exhale
Ify - Caligula: The Ultimate Cut

Follow us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, or Letterboxd

With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

June Squibb’s film career has always defied expectations for what an actor can do at what age. So why not star in your first headlining role - an action movie no less- at 94? We talk THELMA, then pitch some frankly amazing ideas for future action thrillers with unlikely stars.

What’s Good
Alonso - Sasha Geffen’s article on Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Welcome to the Pleasuredome
Drea - returning to swimming
Ify - cropping his t-shirts…oh and TV Chef Fantasy League, now on MaxFun!

ITIDIC

1. Neon Exec: Independent Films Have to be an “Event” to succeed in theaters
2. Boulder Looking Like A Top Candidate to be the New Home of Sundance
3. Eddie Murphy Says New Shrek is Coming…and a Donkey Movie

Staff Picks
Drea - Kinds of Kindness
Alonso - Tuesday
Ify - Speed Racer

Alonso on Go Fact Yourself
See Alonso at the Academy Museum w/Justin Simien on 6/29
Alonso on The Flop House

Follow us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, or Letterboxd

With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

We’ve got film critic Robert Daniels to help us answer the hard-hitting questions about a film about the kind of gutwrenching true story you wish were pure fiction. Questions like: Did you want to see this movie? Then, we take a hotline call that brings in a healthy dose of Black Joy. 

What’s Good
Drea - wedding ridiculousness 
Robert - awesome Chicago weather
Ify - skincare

ITIDIC

1. Angelina Jolie Will Play Opera Singer Maria Callas in Pablo Larraín’s Next Film
2. Warner Bros.’ Cooks Up an NFT ‘experience’: The Fellowship in 4K
3. Tim Burton Says He’s Done with Disney after Dumbo Debacle

Staff Picks:
Drea - Clemency, Girls Trip
Robert - Aftersun, The Banshees of Inisherin
Ify - Watchmen (the show)

Robert’s TIME article: Witnessing Black Trauma Onscreen in 2022

Buy Alonso's book - I'll Be Home for Christmas Movies            

With:
Ify Nwadiwe
Drea Clark
Robert Daniels

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Follow us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, or Letterboxd

With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Sometimes, when planning our Maximum Film! calendar, someone will text the group saying, “I just saw a movie and, hoo boy.” That’s how this episode was born. To help us on this horror journey, we have an expert guest, Nay Bever. Nay is an artist, a producer and interviewee on Queer for Fear, and co-host of Attack of the Queerwolf, and she gamely joins us to explain details like how Pinhead fits into the whole power hierarchy of Hell. 

What’s Good
Alonso - Dorie’s Cookies / Vanilla Sables
Drea - bivalent booster and other COVID accoutrement
Nay - dinner with friends
Ify - Marvel vs. Capcom 2; new season of The Challenge

ITIDIC

1. Harrison Ford is joining the MCU
2. Netflix Ad Tier Pricing Has Been Revealed
3. Director Christopher Landon Lambastes Studios Over Day-and-Date Horror Releases

Staff Picks:

Ify - The Neon Demon
Drea - Decision to Leave
Alonso - The Velvet Vampire
Nay - Child’s Play

Buy Alonso's book - I'll Be Home for Christmas Movies 

Episode Sponsor: MasterClass
Go to MasterClass.com/MAXFILM for 15% off MasterClass.

With:
Ify Nwadiwe
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde
Nay Bever

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Follow us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, or Letterboxd

With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Comedian Steve Hernandez joins us to take a look at Universal's splashy gay rom-com. We talk about where it sits in queer cinema history and whether it delivered on its promises (of both the "rom" and "com" varieties).

Then, we get some characters from movies past set up with podcasting narrators of their own.

What’s Good
Alonso - Retail Christmas season
Steve - wedding planning, The Chatterbox, Rao’s sauce from the jar
Drea - Season 3 of Derry Girls

ITIDIC

a). John Waters Returns to Directing to Helm Adaptation of His Novel
b). Netflix Will Put Knives Out 2 in 600 Theaters For a Week
c). Velma is “Officially” Gay in the Newest Scooby-Doo Movie

Staff Picks
Drea - Straight Up (2022)
Alonso - Go Fish (1994)
Steve - Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat (2018)

We are sponsored by OVID.tv
Visit OVID.tv and use code MAXFILM for 50% off a year of boundary-pushing international cinema. 

With:
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde
Steve Hernandez

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Follow us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, or Letterboxd

With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Welcome to Victory, where the sinks are spotless, the wardrobes are flawless, and dinner is on the floor.  Depresh Mode's John Moe joins us to dissect Don't Worry Darling, a movie that is definitely a movie. 

Then, we'll take a hotline call about directorial blank checks.

What’s Good
Alonso - Queer for Fear
Drea - Law & Order Character Drea Clark (ep: “Battle Lines”)
John - The return of Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared
Ify - Wellbutrin & Kid Cudi’s Entergalactic

ITIDIC

a). Blade Director Bassam Tariq Exits Two Months Before Production
b). Everything Everywhere All At Once Hits $70m Domestic Box Office
c). Community Movie is Finally Happening

Staff Picks
Drea - Who Invited Them (2022)
Alonso - Space Station 76 (2014)
John - Out of Sight (1998)
Ify - Midsommar (2019)

Bonus picks: Lady Macbeth (2017), Little Women (2019), Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat (1895)

The Hilarious World of Depression by John Moe (now in paperback!)

We are sponsored by OVID.tv

Visit OVID.tv and use code MAXFILM for 50% off a year of boundary-pushing international cinema. 

With:
Ify Nwadiwe
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde
John Moe

Produced by  Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Follow us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, or Letterboxd

With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

The Montana winter isn’t the only thing ice-cold and unrelenting in God’s Country, directed by newcomer Julian Higgins and starring Thandiwe Newton. We’ve got Vulture’s TV critic and film writer Roxana Hadadi along to unpack all that this indie is bringing us. (Btw, today’s conversation is relatively spoiler-free.)

Then we’ll play a word quiz inspired by the title of this week’s movie.

What’s Good
Alonso - Hallmark’s upcoming slate, especially The Holiday Sitter
Drea - Kitchen deep clean
Roxana - newly planted White Oak tree

ITIDIC

1. Tom Hardy Quietly Entered a Local Martial Arts Tournament Last Week
2. Jon Hamm Gave Back Over Half His Salary to Extend Confess, Fletch Shoot Saoirse Ronan will lead the cast of Steve McQueen’s upcoming World War II Movie

Read the short story Winter Light

Sound of Metal is out on Criterion with an intro essay by Roxana Hadadi

Staff Picks
Drea - Athena (2022)
Alonso - Benediction (2022)
Roxana - Athena and The Battle of Algiers (1966)

Soylent
Go to Soylent.com/maxfilm and use promo code MAXFILM to get 20% OFF your first order.

With:
Alonso Duralde
Drea Clark
Roxana Hadadi

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Follow us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, or Letterboxd

With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

A lot of the fun of BARBARIAN is in the suspense of not knowing what to expect. So let’s just say: there’s this house. There are people there. And if you want to know more, see the movie, then listen to this special trio-only episode of MaxFilm! (Or, you can listen to the first segment, then skip to the last segment).

Later, we’ll play a round of ScareBnB.

What’s Good
Alonso - Sprinkles’ “La Gloria” Cupcake 
Drea - Railroad workers
Ify - Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Kringle

ITIDIC

1. Mission Impossible 8 Halted Production by a Stray Flock of Sheep
2. The People’s Joker pulled from TIFF after one screening 
3. David Harbour to Star in “Killer-Santa” movie Violent Night

Staff Picks
Drea - Do Revenge (2022)
Alonso - Confess, Fletch (2022)
Ify - Untold: The Rise and Fall of AND1 (2022) (and Don't Breathe, 2016)

MasterClass
Get unlimited access to EVERY MasterClass. For 15% off an annual membership, go to MasterClass.com/MAXFILM.

With:
Ify Nwadiwe
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde
Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Follow us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, or Letterboxd

With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Enjoy this episode of the only podcast that gives you BOTH a capsule description of the Paramount Accords and personal childhood memories of an imaginary mermaid girlfriend. With special guests like television luminary writer/producer Bryan Fuller, who are also witness to all of the above in real time! You can't miss it. And you're not missing it, because here you are, reading the shownotes.

Later, we’ll take an hotline message about island movies.

What’s Good
Alonso - Paxlovid
Drea - Californians saving power
Bryan - E.T. on IMAX
Ify - Korean skincare/hyaluronic acid

ITIDIC

1. Wall-E Criterion 4K Release
2. Zac Efron Says His Baywatch regimen is unattainable, made him depressed
3. Cineworld Stocks Up after Bankruptcy Cash Influx 

Staff Picks
Alonso - Whirlybird (2020)
Drea - Big Fish (2003)
Ify - Aladdin (2019)
Bryan - Amelie (2001)

Soylent
Go to Soylent.com/maxfilm and use promo code MAXFILM to get 20% OFF your first order.

With:
Ify Nwadiwe
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde
Bryan Fuller
Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Follow us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, or Letterboxd

With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher