Now Playing Podcast

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Now Playing Podcast (commonly referred to as Now Playing) is a weekly film review audio podcast launched in 2007 and produced by Springfield, Illinois-based Venganza Media.

Originally a short-form podcast reviewing week-of-release films, Now Playing shifted to a “retrospective" format in 2009; with a rotating panel of three film critics discussing film franchises as a whole, often leading up to the release of a new sequel, prequel, or spinoff entry.

The shift to a retrospective format led to new interest in the podcast, with fans and journalists commending the hosts for their “insightful and amusing film talk.” In 2015, Now Playing launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to produce a book of film reviews, titled “Underrated Movies We Recommend.”

On June 23, 2020, Now Playing celebrated its 1000^th review, with a conversation about director John Hughes’ The Breakfast Club.

History

Now Playing Podcast was conceived in 2007 by Arnaldo “Arnie” Carvalho and his wife, Marjorie Carvalho, as the pair exited a screening of the film Ghost Rider. The Carvalho's had been podcasting since 2005, when they formed Star Wars Action News, a podcast for Star Wars memorabilia and merchandise collectors. The show would eventually become part of the expanding Venganza Media Podcasting Network, which includes Star Wars Action News, book review podcast Books & Nachos, and the Marvel Universe collecting-themed Marvelicious Toys.

Soon thereafter, Arnie Carvalho began to recruit friends and acquaintances to join the show as hosts, including childhood friend Stuart Atkinson, Star Wars Action News contributor Jakob Conkling, and voice artist James “Brock” O’Shea. Early episodes of Now Playing consisted of two hosts, but Carvalho changed the format in early 2009, adding a third host and changing the focus of the program to full-length reviews of entire film franchises. The new retrospective format was launched on January 9, 2009, with a review of 1980s Friday the 13^th, leading up to the release of the 2009 remake.

With no shortage of Hollywood film franchises and sequels to review, Now Playing began to amass a steady following, with its popularity largely attributed to its retrospective format and the diversity of its hosts. “We usually try to have somebody who’s a fan of the series, somebody who is new to the series, and somebody who is kind of indifferent,” Carvalho said in a 2018 interview.

Now Playing continued to add new on-air and behind-the-scenes personalities as the show grew in popularity, with Star Wars Action News contributor Jerry Stephens joining the show in 2011, journalist Jason R. Latham joining in 2014, and Marvelicious Toys podcast co-host and graphic designer Justin Kozisek joining in 2016.

In early 2015, Now Playing launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to raise $40,000 for a book titled “Underrated Movies We Recommend.” The book consists of 125 movie reviews from four of the show's hosts, with art designed by comic book artist and writer Tom Beland. In 30 days, the campaign far exceeded its target goal, raising $115,482 for the project. Shortly thereafter, filmmaker John Carpenter agreed to write the foreword for the book. Due to a series of delays, including the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the hardcover release of "Underrated Movies We Recommend" is expected to debut in late 2020.

To maintain its status as a listener-supported podcast with no sponsors, Now Playing joined the Podbean platform in 2016. The move allowed the show to be financed by donors through Podbean's patron funding model. In 2019, Podbean ranked Now Playing among its Top 10 TV and Film Podcasts.

In 2020, Venganza Media began producing live Now Playing watch parties on the HotMic mobile app.

Now Playing celebrated its 500^th episode, a review of Chopping Mall, on October 14, 2016. Its 1000^th movie review was released on June 23, 2020. As of July 2020, the show had amassed more than 2,000 reviews on Apple Podcasts, achieving an average of 4.6 stars out of 5.

Format

Now Playing Podcast episodes consist of a panel of three hosts discussing a film in its entirety, before providing individual “recommends” or “not recommends” stylized as green or red arrows, respectively. In its earliest incarnation, Now Playing episodes would run 20-30 minutes. As the show's format evolved, episodes would get longer, with some discussions lasting up to two hours or longer. The 2019 review of Avengers: Endgame clocked in at more than three hours.

Episodes are edited by Carvalho and several contributing editors. Each episode begins with introductory credits narrated by O’Shea, followed by a brief overview of the film being discussed, and a plot summary; often written and read by Carvalho or Atkinson. At the conclusion of the conversation, each host gives the film a “recommend” or “not recommend” before the episode ends with closing credits and a blooper reel.

Now Playing Podcast is recognized for its consistency, with new episodes released every Tuesday since February 2011. Twice annually, the show hosts a donation drive via Podbean and PayPal, in which supporters receive thanks in the form of a new retrospective series, often released on Fridays. Additionally, Now Playing produces exclusive “Patron Exclusive” episodes for Podbean supporters.

While Now Playing has focused on film franchises throughout its history, the show will occasionally dedicate an entire retrospective to the works of a director or author; including David Lynch, Christopher Nolan, Stephen King, and Tom Clancy, among others.

Notable Reviews

The following is a partial list of film franchises featured on Now Playing Podcast.

• A Nightmare on Elm Street
• Alien
• Back to the Future
• Batman
• Jason Bourne
• Charlie's Angels
• Child's Play
• Children of the Corn
• Christopher Nolan
• David Lynch
• DC Extended Universe
• Die Hard
• Eastrail 177
• Evil Dead
• The Exorcist
• Fantastic Four
• Fast & Furious
• Friday the 13th
• The Godfather
• Ghostbusters
• Halloween
• Hannibal Lecter
• Hellraiser
• The Hunger Games
• Indiana Jones
• Jack Ryan
• James Bond
• Jaws
• John Wick
• Jurassic Park
• King Kong
• Leprechaun
• Lethal Weapon
• Lord of the Rings
• Mad Max
• Marvel Cinematic Universe
• The Matrix
• Mission: Impossible
• Phantasm
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Planet of the Apes
• Pokémon
• Predator
• Psycho
• Quentin Tarantino
• Rambo
• Resident Evil
• Robocop
• Rocky
• Saw
• Scream
• Silent Night, Deadly Night
• Spider-Man
• Star Trek
• Star Wars
• Superman
• Terminator
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
• The Thing
• Toy Story
• Wonder Woman
• X-Men

Spinoffs

Books & Nachos

Venganza Media launched its Books & Nachos podcast as a companion show to Now Playing Podcast, with the two often sharing hosts and topics. Books & Nachos features reviews of books that have been adapted into films, including Stephen King's Carrie and Robert Bloch's Psycho; as well as movie novelizations, graphic novels, and autobiographies.

Now Peaking Podcast

In 2017, Venganza Media produced Now Peaking Podcast, a spinoff of Now Playing’s “David Lynch Retrospective Series” that examined every episode in the Twin Peaks franchise, beginning with the 1989 pilot and culminating with the final episode of Showtime's Twin Peaks: The Return. The podcast also featured reviews of Twin Peaks-related fiction.

External Links

• Official Website
• Now Playing Podcast at Podbean
• Now Playing Podcast at Apple Podcasts
• Now Playing Podcast at Spotify
• Now Playing Podcast at Twitter
• Now Playing Podcast at Facebook

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