66. Special Topic: Paramount Thinks They Won. They're Kidding Themselves.

67. Spoiler Review: Project Hail Mary (2026 film)

⚠️ FULL SPOILERS. If you haven't read the book or seen Project Hail Mary yet, do that first, then come back. Andy Weir fans have been waiting for this one. The 2021 bestselling novel finally makes its big screen debut and this is the kind of movie that reminds you what movie magic can actually feel like. Ryan Gosling (star and producer), Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall, The Zone of Interest), directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller (21 Jump Street, Spider-Verse), and the voice and puppetry team behind Rocky team up to bring Weir's epic to life. It's a tall order given how many people love this book and how many millions were absorbed by Ray Porter's unrivaled audiobook narration. Sohrab and Roya break it all down. Does Gosling nail the balance of Grace, the goofy, brilliant, emotionally isolated scientist thrust into an impossible mission? Does Hüller carry the cold, commanding presence of Strat with the laser focus the role demands? And how do you bring a faceless alien to life and make the entire audience fall in love with him? Weir does it again, a story built on optimism, science, intelligence, and teamwork against insurmountable odds. Ted Lasso comes to mind: even in the darkest moments, there is always a place for hope. You feel that in every scene. Yes, things were cut from the book. Yes, changes were made. Are there some bumps and decisions we didn't fully understand on first viewing? Sure. Does this still deliver? Hell yes. Project Hail Mary has already locked its place on the best films of 2026 list and its theatrical run has been extended, including on IMAX. See it on the biggest screen you can. When it hits Prime Video, that'll be your second or third watch. If you are enjoying the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It genuinely helps more than you know. Sound Speed Action covers film reviews, series reviews, and the business of entertainment. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode. For more great book content follow Roya at @royaltyreads on IG.

66. Special Topic: Paramount Thinks They Won. They're Kidding Themselves.

A new special topic episode of Sound Speed Action is out now everywhere you get your podcasts! The big ongoing story in the entertainment world has been the fate of Warner Bros. Discovery. Paramount has acquired Warner Bros. Discovery after a long bidding war with Netflix. Netflix is being called the loser in all of this. Look, either of these companies getting their hands on this archive of content pushes this industry into some uncertain territory. But the narrative that Netflix was outplayed here is crazy to me. Today's episode gets into why. 📌 EDITOR'S NOTE: I forgot to include this detail in the episode itself, but it's too important to leave out — so I'm adding it here. A thank you to my friend Arvind for the reminder. The WBD board initially rejected Paramount's hostile bid outright, citing "illusory" financing. The turning point came when Larry Ellison — Oracle co-founder and father of Paramount CEO David Ellison — stepped in with an irrevocable personal guarantee of $40.4 billion in equity financing. WBD's board chairman had specifically said the deal needed exactly that: direct accountability from Larry Ellison himself. Without that guarantee, Paramount's campaign likely dies in December. The episode covers the broader battle, but that's the detail that changed the math. We're stepping away from our regular reviews and recommendations for this one. Special topic episodes are for exactly this kind of thing, any major development that impacts this industry of art we all care so much about. The last one was about the American film union strikes of 2023. And by the way, the unions are renegotiating their contracts this year. Fingers crossed on that. Those strikes reshaped this industry in real ways, and this acquisition is going to do the same.

65. Spoiler Review: The Housemaid (2025 film)

Psychological thrillers are having a massive moment, but finding a truly successful book to film adaptation remains a rare feat. Today we discuss how director Paul Feig, known for his range in films like Bridesmaids and A Simple Favor, took the beloved source material by author Freida McFadden and elevated it for the big screen. While the book set a high bar, this cinematic version manages to heighten the tension through creative risks and licenses that ultimately make for a thoroughly entertaining experience.For today's episode, Roya Tavakolian (@RoyalTeaReads on IG) returns to the podcast to compare the movie to its literary roots. We dive into the all star cast including Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria, The White Lotus) and Brendan Sklenar (1923), though the clear MVP of the film is Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia!, Mean Girls). Her performance is absolutely unreal and sets the bar high for the movie. We also break down the specific changes Paul Feig made to the narrative and why those choices helped the movie take the story up a notch.This stands as one of the best book to movie adaptations of 2025. The Housemaid is playing in theaters and is available to rent and buy on all platforms now too.If you are enjoying the show, please leave a review because it really helps the podcast.We hope you check out the movie. Let us know what you think and as always thanks for tuning in.

64. Spoiler Review: Avatar: Fire and Ash

4 years later and James Cameron is back with another headspinning installment of having us enter back into his worl of Pandora. Yes today's SPOILER REVIEW episode of "Sound Speed Action" is covering the mega-movie event of 2025 that was "Avatar: Fire and Ash". That of course means returning to the podcast after our review of "Avatar: Way of Water" 3 years ago is our good friend, Mr. Jonathan Olivo. We cover a lot of ground but I think we can definitely say this: WHAT. A. RIDE. Cameron does it again. Certain the visual effects alone are worth the price of movie theater admission alone but seriously this franchise and Fire and Ash bring a lot to it to make them special: The cast with Zoe Saldana (is she the biggest star ever?), Sam Worthing (wasnt crazy about him at first but by this installment he really owns and brought a lot of depth to this Fire and Ash). Stephen Lang and Sigourney Weaver - absolutely impressive with playing any role where there is literally any age. Superb. Oona Chaplan as Varang is a bit over the top but she also own it and goes full ham with her villain character Varang in a way that makes the character fun, complex, definitely interesting. Does it feel like a little bit of re-tread of the 2nd episode? We have some differing thoughts on that. Jack Champion is back as Spider in this movie. His role definitely has more weight here which opens up some doors for some fun directions that the Avatar world could go in? Only gripe with him is that the dialogue is a little paper thin. That said it doesnt take away from this thrill that at over 3 hours should feel long but flies so quickly with bringing all the thrills. Don't miss this one."Avatar: Fire and Ash" is playing in theaters. ABSOLUTELY THAT NEEDS TO BE EXPERIENCED ON THE BIG SCREEN! Enjoy.Also if you are enjoying the podcast, please drop us a review on whichever platform you get your podcasts. It helps the show a lot. Thanks.

63. Spoiler Review: The Wrecking Crew and The Rip (2026 streaming films)

Are Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck bringing back the golden age of cinema? We dive deep into "The Wrecking Crew" and "The Rip" to see if the buddy action movie is finally back for good.The latest episode of Sound Speed Action is up and also a heads up this episode does include some minor spoilers for the streaming movies The Rip and The Wrecking Crew. On this episode it is the battle of buddy action movies with The Rip from Netflix starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon plus The Wrecking Crew from Prime Video. Ali Reza Beheshti returns to the show as we take a status check on the kind of fun movies streamers are putting out lately. We get into everything from Director Joe Carnahan reuniting with Ben Affleck to the over the top 80s energy of the Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa pairing. One movie is a slow burn thriller while the other is a laugh out loud buddy cop throwback but both represent a big shift in how these platforms are competing for our attention.Beyond the reviews we tackle the massive industry shifts happening behind the scenes. We discuss the Artist Equity production model and how it rewards over twelve hundred crew members based on streaming success. We also dive into the rumors surrounding a potential Netflix acquisition of Warner Brothers Discovery and what that means for the future of HBO. We explore whether folding a prestige brand like HBO into the Netflix ecosystem will lead to a loss of the unique creative visions that make cinema special. The Rip is streaming now on Netflix and The Wrecking Crew is available on Prime Video. If you are enjoying the show please leave a review for this podcast on whichever podcast platform you are listening to us from. It really helps the podcast. thank you.