Maximum Film!

It’s episode 401 and we’ve reassembled, now with Kevin Avery at the helm. Back in the guest chair is the familiar voice of Jordan Morris, Maximum Fun superstar and writer of TV and comics. And the movie is Thunderbolts* , the MCU’s little gang of misfits film that just might have what it takes to make you feel again.** Then we’ll have a movie quiz to test our memories of MCU Phases past. What’s Good Alonso - “my first dump salad” Drea - WhatsApp + voicenotes = “friendship podcast” Jordan - The River Has Roots [https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250341082/theriverhasroots/] by Amal El-Mohtar Kevin -  Sea of Tranquility [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/692735/sea-of-tranquility-by-emily-st-john-mandel/]by Emily St. John Mandel ITIDIC 1. Spike Lee’s New Film, Which Reunites Him With Denzel, To Premiere at Cannes [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/highest-2-lowest-teaser-trailer-denzel-washington-spike-lee-1236207224/] 2. Oscar Voters Have to Watch the Movies Now [https://variety.com/2025/film/awards/oscars-viewing-requirement-loopholes-1236380799/] Staff Picks Drea - Sacramento [https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/sacramento-2025] Alonso - Godard’s King Lear [https://www.criterion.com/films/28773-king-lear?srsltid=AfmBOopzqMJFKuZLcXbYH24lcOMR4jJJiERgUitvNntM0gzZq_eD3Fib] (Wiki [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Lear_(1987_film)]) Kevin - Magic Mike XXL [https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/magic-mike-xxl] Jordan - Black Bag [https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/black-bag] *yes we’re still calling it that **about Marvel movies specifically. General depression reduction not guaranteed. But hey, worth a shot! Follow us on BlueSky [https://bsky.app/profile/maximumfilmpodcast.bsky.social], Facebook [http://facebook.com/groups/maximum_film], or Instagram [http://instagram.com/maximumfilmpodcast] With Kevin Avery [https://www.instagram.com/kevinaverycomedy] Drea Clark [http://twitter.com/thedreaclark] Alonso Duralde [https://bsky.app/profile/aduralde.bsky.social] Produced by Marissa Flaxbart [http://instagram.com/flaxbart] Sr. Producer Laura Swisher [http://twitter.com/swish]

It’s been a long time…and a sizeable chunk of this podcast! We’re preparing a hell of a party this week, as we hit 400, Ify cruises into the sunset as host, and we finally cover the original supernatural drama that film nerd dreams are made of, Ryan Coogler’s SINNERS. We’ve got past guest and IRL Ify bud Cody Ziglar riding shotgun this week to boot! And we dream up what some serious films might be like if we threw some vampires into the mix. What’s Good Alonso - Pineapple Upside-Down Cake (especially Nancy Silverton’s [https://www.masterclass.com/articles/pineapple-upside-down-cake]) Drea - “How long does it actually take” TikToks [https://www.tiktok.com/@christinewrutzen?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc] Zig - Tom Cruise coconut cake from Doan’s Bakery [https://www.doansbakery.com/] (+Ify mentions King’s rainbow cake [https://www.khbakery.com/items/paradise-cake]) Ify - Neotropolis [https://www.neotropolis.com/home] Ify’s Staff Picks on Letterboxd [https://letterboxd.com/bookmomatt/list/maximum-film-staff-picks-ify/] Ryan Coogler Aspect ratio video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78Ru62uFM0s] Staff Picks Alonso - Red Rooms [https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/les-chambres-rouges] Drea - Let the Right One In [https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/let-the-right-one-in] (and Green Room [https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/green-room]) Zig - Assault on Precinct 13 [https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/john-carpenters-assault-on-precinct-13] and From Dusk Till Dawn [https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/from-dusk-till-dawn-1] Ify - From Dusk Till Dawn [https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/from-dusk-till-dawn-1] Thanks to our sponsor, Good Story Guild [https://goodstoryguild.co/listen/in-media-res]! Listen to In Media Res [https://goodstoryguild.co/listen/in-media-res] wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us on BlueSky [https://bsky.app/profile/maximumfilmpodcast.bsky.social], Facebook [http://facebook.com/groups/maximum_film], or Instagram [http://instagram.com/maximumfilmpodcast] With Kevin Avery [https://www.instagram.com/kevinaverycomedy] Drea Clark [http://twitter.com/thedreaclark] Alonso Duralde [https://bsky.app/profile/aduralde.bsky.social] Produced by Marissa Flaxbart [http://instagram.com/flaxbart] Sr. Producer Laura Swisher [http://twitter.com/swish]

We’ve got the fabulous Parvesh Cheena [https://www.instagram.com/parvey] here, once again on the gaysian movie beat! This time around, it’s Andrew Ahn’s THE WEDDING BANQUET, which reimagines and modernizes the core story of a nearly unseeable 1993 Ang Lee film (maybe try your local library?). It’s a complicated relationship comedy between two queer couples, and two of their matriarchs.  Plus, we choose which classic films we’d like to see get a queer remake (besides all of them). What’s Good Alonso - TCM Festival [https://filmfestival.tcm.com/programs/special-guests/alonso-duralde/] Drea - Drag Race finale, TV as a group activity Parvesh - More Drag Race Ify - Temptation Island (see also: Montoya Por Favor [https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1321167075861512]) ITIDIC 1. SINNERS is the first horror movie to receive an ‘A’ Cinema Score [https://screenrant.com/sinners-2025-movie-cinemascore-a-horror-movie-first] 2. Wicked’s VOD “Bonus Features” Are Getting Tons of Plays [https://collider.com/wicked-streaming-success-peacock-bonus-features-revive-now/] Staff Picks Drea - The Half of It [https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-half-of-it] Alonso - Art for Everybody [https://artforeverybodyfilm.com/] Parv - A Nice Indian Boy [https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/a-nice-indian-boy] Ify - Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon [https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon] See Parvesh in Trauma Play at IAMA [https://www.iamatheatre.com/trauma-play] Follow us on BlueSky [https://bsky.app/profile/maximumfilmpodcast.bsky.social], Facebook [http://facebook.com/groups/maximum_film], or Instagram [http://instagram.com/maximumfilmpodcast] With Kevin Avery [https://www.instagram.com/kevinaverycomedy] Drea Clark [http://twitter.com/thedreaclark] Alonso Duralde [https://bsky.app/profile/aduralde.bsky.social] Produced by Marissa Flaxbart [http://instagram.com/flaxbart] Sr. Producer Laura Swisher [http://twitter.com/swish]

Our own Mr. January, Kevin Avery, joins the crew IRL (!!!) for an episode all about one of Ify’s favorite movies, The Big Lebowski. With a foursome made up of half long-time Little Lebowskis and half newcomers to the film, we’re tackling a much-memorized Coen Classic with fresh(ish) eyes. Plus, some Very Big Show News and a rundown of movies we can’t shut up about. This in-studio episode happened because of members who supported Maximum Film! In the latest MaxFunDrive. Check out the video version of the episode on MaxFun’s YouTube page! [https://www.youtube.com/@MaxFunHQ/videos] What’s Good Alonso - Right-on pudding (Petit Pot) Drea - Davy Mayer [https://votedavy.com/]’s alder win in Madison, WI Kevin - The Traitors UK Ify - Latex jumpsuit ITIDIC * Oscars Add a Category Honoring Stunts for 2027 [https://variety.com/2025/awards/news/oscars-stunt-category-1236366412/] * Meta and Blumhouse Are Bringing a Second Screen Experience to Cinemas [https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/articles/meta-wants-phone-second-screen-193632420.html] * Cinema Dedicated to LGBTQ+ Films Opens in London [https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62ggql9r8zo] Staff Picks Ify - The Amateur [https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/amateur-2024] Alonso - A Minecraft Movie [https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/a-minecraft-movie] Kevin - Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One [https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/mission-impossible-7] Drea - Psycho Therapy: The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write About a Serial Killer [https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/psycho-therapy-the-shallow-tale-of-a-writer-who-decided-to-write-about-a-serial-killer] Follow us on BlueSky [https://bsky.app/profile/maximumfilmpodcast.bsky.social], Facebook [http://facebook.com/groups/maximum_film], or Instagram [http://instagram.com/maximumfilmpodcast] With Kevin Avery [https://www.instagram.com/kevinaverycomedy] Drea Clark [http://twitter.com/thedreaclark] Alonso Duralde [https://bsky.app/profile/aduralde.bsky.social] Produced by Marissa Flaxbart [http://instagram.com/flaxbart] Sr. Producer Laura Swisher [http://twitter.com/swish]

Naomi Watts, Bill Murray, and a Great Dane named Bing star alongside a lot of terrific character actors in this adaptation of the 2018 National Book Award-winning novel by Sigrid Nunez. Is it your run of the mill pet movie, or something more? While we’re (topically) in New York City, we thought we’d collect some nominees for the Hall of Excellence! What’s Good Alonso - Michael G. Lee’s biography of Randy Shilts, When the Band Played On [https://www.chicagoreviewpress.com/when-the-band-played-on-products-9780914090304.php] Drea - Miss Eggy’s live television moment [https://www.nbc.com/nbc-insider/snl-ego-nwodim-weekend-update-audience-watch] Ify - Wayfair delivery journey ITIDIC 1. Young Moviegoers Are Making a Ruckus at Minecraft Movie Screenings [https://people.com/cinemas-warn-against-disruptive-behavior-at-minecraft-movie-11710176] 2. Tangled Live-Action Remake Gets Put on Pause [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/tangled-live-action-remake-pause-disney-1236180940/] 3. A New Arthouse Cinema is Opening in Manhattan [https://deadline.com/2025/04/new-arthouse-cinema-coming-to-new-york-upper-west-side-1236362066/] Hall of Excellence Into the Spiderverse (possibly any Spiderman) Sweet Smell of Success Do the Right Thing Staff Picks Drea - A NICE INDIAN BOY [https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/a-nice-indian-boy] Alonso - PLAY IT AS IT LAYS [https://www.americancinematheque.com/series/frank-perrys-play-it-as-it-lays-limited-engagement/] Ify - MARLEY AND ME [https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/marley-and-me] Follow us on BlueSky [https://bsky.app/profile/maximumfilmpodcast.bsky.social], Facebook [http://facebook.com/groups/maximum_film], or Instagram [http://instagram.com/maximumfilmpodcast] With Kevin Avery [https://www.instagram.com/kevinaverycomedy] Drea Clark [http://twitter.com/thedreaclark] Alonso Duralde [https://bsky.app/profile/aduralde.bsky.social] Produced by Marissa Flaxbart [http://instagram.com/flaxbart] Sr. Producer Laura Swisher [http://twitter.com/swish]