The Birds by Daphne du Maurier

The Birds by Daphne du Maurier

Before Alfred Hitchcock turned birds into cinematic terror, The Birds was a bleak, intimate apocalypse story from author Daphne du Maurier. In this special Now Playing Podcast Book Review, Arnie looks at the 1952 short story that inspired Hitchcock’s classic film and finds something very different: a grim survival tale closer to War of the Worlds, I Am Legend, and Night of the Living Dead than the Hollywood thriller audiences know. From post-war paranoia to unexplained cosmic dread, hear why this short story still works over 70 years later, why its ending hits so hard, and why Hitchcock may have only borrowed the premise while leaving most of the original story behind. Plus, how gulls attacking a farmer became one of horror’s most influential setups.

Star Wars: The Mandalorian - Season 3

Is this The Way to make a follow-up to a hit show? Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) aims to bring the various Mandalorian factions together and reclaim their homeworld in Season Three of the popular Star Wars series. Does that mean The Armorer can give Pedro Pascal a pass for peeking out from under his helmet and pushing his foundling child Grogu to become his combat-ready apprentice? Or would Grogu prefer to remain coddled by psycho fans like Amy Sedaris, Jack Black, and Lizzo? Find out if villain Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) can Force himself into the crowded storylines when you Listen Now!

Mortal Kombat II

Nic is not the only Cage who made garbage action flicks in the 1990s Karl Urban (The Boys) goes from Comic-Con has-been to fighting for Earth in a life-or-death tournament called Mortal Kombat II. Does this aging Gen X-er still have enough fight to defeat classic video game characters like fan-wielding Kitana, toothy Baraka, and big, bad Outworld villain Shao Khan? And can director Simon McQuoid bring new life to martial artists who didn’t stick the landing in his COVID-era first attempt at the property? Get over here and listen to Arnie, Justin, and Stuart provide perspective on another Now Playing Podcast Arcade entry.

The Devil Wears Prada 2

Kenneth Branagh’s Adoing Nothing Anne Hathaway (The Dark Knight Rises) returns to Runway Magazine in The Devil Wears Prada 2, where the collapse of print media may finally threaten the icy reign of editor Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep). But after the death of a publishing mogul leaves Miranda’s future uncertain, will the fashion queen be forced to trade first-class flights and chauffeured town cars for coach seats and Uber rides? And can Streep (Silkwood) still get away with terrorizing assistants, insulting body-positive models, and tormenting long-suffering Stanley Tucci (Captain America: The First Avenger) in 2026? Join Marjorie, Arnie, and Brock for their devilishly opinionated review.

Book Review: The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger

The Devil Wears Prada has become iconic. Anne Hathaway’s cerulean sweater. Meryl Streep’s silver hair and clipped “that’s all” dismissal. The pop songs, the score, the fashion world excess. Just hearing the title instantly conjures images from the film for millions of people. And while it’s common knowledge that Streep’s Miranda Priestly was inspired by Vogue editor Anna Wintour, fewer people realize the story began as a novel: a lightly fictionalized account written by Wintour’s former assistant, Lauren Weisberger. Now, with a movie sequel hitting theaters, Arnie looks back at Weisberger’s original 2003 novel and its follow-ups, Revenge Wears Prada and When Life Gives You Lululemons. Join him as he dives into the world of chick lit and reveals just how dramatic a makeover the original book received on its way to becoming a Hollywood phenomenon.