Movie Schmovie

This is what we used to call a catchup eppy! I guess we still call it that. Anyway, no Required Viewing this week (patience), but the guys scrounge up enough recent stuff to cover, even so. Enjoy!

Is there anything scarier than a clown... in a cornfield? We’re about to find out! This week, Ronald's Required Viewing puts 2025’s Clown in a Cornfield front and center. Is it a new slasher classic or just a really bad dream? We’ll tell you! Then the guys dive into some franchise resurrections, like the much-anticipated Jurassic World: Rebirth and Danny Boyle's return to the zombie apocalypse with 28 Years Later. Tune in for all the movie madness!

John’s Required Viewing pick this week is Superman III, the campy 1983 entry in Christopher Reeve’s classic film series, featuring Richard Pryor as a morally dubious computer programmer. Then the guys run down a few other things they’ve seen, like Celine Song’s The Materialists and the live-action re-do of Lilo and Stitch.

Ron, Steve, and John assess The Assessment—a new-ish sci-fi/psychological thriller picked by Steve for this week’s Required Viewing—before moving on to a few other recent movies and shows, including Ballerina (the action-packed John Wick spinoff) and Wes Anderson’s latest deadpan character study, The Phoenician Scheme.

Join in as we discuss 1990’s The War of the Roses, the new trailer for Noah Hawley‘s Alien: Earth series, and a spoiler-filled conversation around Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.

This week on the show, the guys head out to California (where the emotions are BIG) by watching John’s Required Viewing pick, the sprawling and melodramatic Magnolia; then Ron and John check in on Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd’s toxic bromance, Friendship; and finally Steve and John chat in a non-spoiler-y way about how season one of The Studio wrapped up.

Steve’s Required Viewing pick, the brand-new over-the-top action thriller Fight or Flight, asks the question: is this Josh Hartnett’s “John Wick on a plane,” or just another movie where a disgraced federal agent ingests toad venom and kills contract killers with a chainsaw? Then Ron and John try to explain the adrenaline rush of watching Tom Cruise climb around on a biplane in Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning. And lastly, if you like your Reckonings final, how about your Destinations? Final Destination: Bloodlines resuscitates that durable franchise with a new entry focusing on a family who comes down with a bad case of death. John has a few thoughts.

Ron’s Required Viewing pick, Summer of 69, tries to hide a sweet coming-of-age story in a raunchy teen sex comedy, or maybe it’s the other way around. Listen in to find out how first-time director Jillian Bell did! Then Ron and John get into the emotional highs and lows of Thunderbolts*, the MCU’s surprisingly moody new entry that breathes life into the beleaguered franchise. Also: OTHER THINGS! Just how you like it.

Ron, Steve, and John discuss 1990’s The Hunt for Red October, the new trailer for Zach Cregger‘s Weapons, and Sinners (yes, again)!

Steve’s Required Viewing pick leaves no tears unshed as the guys are emotionally destroyed by The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, a unique Norwegian documentary about online life, coping with illness, and the need for friendship. Then they regroup to share thoughts on other recent things they’ve watched—including more enthusing about Sinners, which John finally caught.

It’s an episode bursting with positive vibes for new movies! What more could you want? Maybe if we said “John reveals something potentially embarrassing from his past,” that would hook you in. The choice is yours.

John’s Required Viewing pick for this episode is Zucker-Abrams-Zucker’s 1984 spy/Elvis/war spoof, Top Secret!, starring the late, great Val Kilmer in an early, loose-limbed comedic role. After that, Ron gives us the low-down on Drop, the brand-new Blumhouse thriller in theaters now; there’s a survey of some recent trailers for films that the guys are excited about; and finally it’s time to share a few thoughts on the White Lotus season finale.

Steve’s Required Viewing pick is an indie film that straddles a few genres, including horror, sci-fi, and psychological drama. Find out what the guys think! Also get Ron’s take on Flight Risk, a new thriller from Ambassador to Hollywood Mel Gibson in which Mark Wahlberg rocks his most interesting hairline yet!

Ron’s Required Viewing pick this week is 1986’s Howard the Duck, a silly sci-fi adventure torn from the pages of Marvel Comics. After discussing that, the guys dig into a few other things they’ve seen and spend a segment extolling the virtues of Walton Goggins, who is having a moment.

Ron, Steve, and John hop in the car with Samuel L Jackson and Geena Davis to keep tabs on 1996’s The Long Kiss Goodnight, a violent and bombastic neonoir/action/comedy thriller directed by Renny Harlin. Then they break down the other things they’ve watched recently, including Daredevil: Born Again (the latest Disney+ MCU series), and Bong Joon-Ho’s wild and funny sci-fi epic, Mickey 17. And more!

Just look at that episode title! What a bunch of stuff to talk about, and that’s without the implications of the word “more.” Are Ron, Steve, and John up to the task? Only those who listen will know.

Ron, Steve, and John talk-sing their way through the minefield of topics that is this week’s Required Viewing pick, Emilia Pérez. Then they blast through internet issues to take on the real enemy: Mediocre superhero films. Who wins that battle? Listen in to find out the answer to that, as well as some recent TV shows the guys have been watching.

In a special installment celebrating 400 episodes since John joined the podcast, the Schmovie Boyz chat about streaming series’ whose names start with S (more or less); play a government-ordered round of The Schmovie Studios Movie Game; and reassess some old topic-based episodes of the show in a new segment called “Forever Ever?”

Ron, Steve, and John get lost in the catacombs with a very chilled-out Crypt Keeper, who guides us through this week’s Required Viewing selection, 1972’s UK anthology film, Tales from the Crypt. Then it’s back to the office as the long-awaited season two premiere of Severance finally arrives. Worth the wait? Join us and find out!

We dive into Steve’s Required Viewing pick, Asphalt City, and its storytelling impact, then review 2025’s Wolfman starring Christopher Abbott, exploring its place in the werewolf genre. Plus, more movie and pop culture discussions!