Cinemaholics

Special guest Mike Overhulse of the Mad Men Men podcast joins Jon Negroni and Will Ashton to break down Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning, the latest (and possibly final?) installment in the long-running spy franchise starring Tom Cruise as the ever-unbreakable Ethan Hunt. Directed once again by Christopher McQuarrie, the film sends the IMF team on a high-octane collision course with a rogue AI known as The Entity, i...

Will Ashton returns with a solo Instant Take on Another Simple Favor, the Amazon Prime sequel to Paul Feig’s 2018 suburban noir comedy-thriller A Simple Favor. With Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively reprising their roles, this follow-up heads to Italy for a destination wedding filled with secrets, frenemy tension, and stylish intrigue.

Will breaks down what works—and what fizzles—in this second he...

Will Ashton returns with another Instant Take, this time tackling The Amateur, a new action-thriller starring Rami Malek (Mr. Robot, Bohemian Rhapsody) as a surveillance tech expert turned reluctant vigilante. With a vibe that borrows from Death Wish and Jason Bourne, the film delivers slick set pieces, familiar genre beats, and a central performance that’s more restrained than revolutionary.

Wil...

Will Ashton is back with a solo Instant Take on Novocaine, the action-comedy-romance hybrid starring Jack Quaid (The Boys) as a pain-insensitive bank employee who becomes an unlikely action hero. Directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen (Villains), this film surprised Will with its surprising charm. But also its creative premise, and solid central performances, too.

Based on the real-life condition CIP (congenital insen...

In this spoiler-free instant take, Will Ashton jumps on the mic solo to give you his first impressions of Black Bag, the sleek and sizzling new spy thriller from director Steven Soderbergh. With a star-studded cast led by Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender, Black Bag is a taut, high-style espionage caper that calls back to the classy, grown-up thrillers of yesteryear.

Will dives into what makes this film click.Iit...

In this week’s episode, Jon Negroni and Will Ashton take a deep dive into Nickel Boys, the latest film from director RaMell Ross (Hale County This Morning, This Evening). An adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, the film follows two Black teenagers trapped in the harrowing realities of Nickel Academy, a reform school in 1960s Florida that crushes hope as efficiently as it enforces silence. ...

Today on Cinemaholics, we’re joined by two hilarious and incredibly talented filmmakers/actors, Harrison Xu and Ivan Leung, to talk about their new indie film, Extremely Unique Dynamic. This queer Asian meta stoner coming-of-age dramedy takes storytelling to a whole new level—it’s a movie about two guys making a movie about two guys making a movie. Yes, it’s as wonderfully chaotic as it sounds.

Extremel...

Today on Cinemaholics, we’re sitting down with director Tim Fehlbaum and actor John Magaro to talk about their new film, September 5. This gripping drama takes us behind the scenes of the 1972 Munich Olympics, where the ABC newsroom was thrust into the chaos of broadcasting one of the first live terrorist attacks. It’s a high-stakes story about media ethics, personal decisions, and the power of storytelling that feels j...

In this special spoiler-free instant take, host Will Ashton delves into Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the latest installment in the high-speed franchise. He explores the film's dynamic action sequences, the evolving camaraderie among Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, and the introduction of Shadow the Hedgehog. Will also examines the performances of returning cast members Ben Schwartz and Idris Elba, as well as the film's vibrant visual effects ...

In this week's episode, Jon Negroni and Will Ashton dive deep into A Complete Unknown, the latest biopic from director James Mangold (Logan, Walk the Line). The film, starring Timothée Chalamet as the iconic Bob Dylan, chronicles the enigmatic artist’s rise to fame during the transformative folk scene of the 1960s. With Edward Norton and Monica Barbaro rounding out the cast, and a runtime of 140 minutes, the ...

In this special instant take, Will Ashton dives into Robert Eggers' latest film, Nosferatu, unpacking its deep ties to the 1922 horror classic and its fresh take on the Dracula mythos. He breaks down Eggers' distinct artistic style, highlights standout performances from Willem Dafoe and Bill Skarsgård, and praises the film's jaw-dropping production design and cinematography. Will also reflects on how Nosferat...

Today on Cinemaholics, Will Ashton gives his spoiler-free instant take of A Complete Unknown, the latest biographical drama from director James Mangold. Starring Timothée Chalamet as a young Bob Dylan, the film chronicles Dylan's rise in the New York folk scene of the early 1960s, culminating in his revolutionary performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. With a screenplay co-written by Mangold and Jay Cocks, and a stellar s...

Breaking news! This week on Cinemaholics, Special guest Ema Sasic joins me (Jon Negroni) to dissect September 5, a gripping new thriller from director Tim Fehlbaum (The Colony). The film takes us back to the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics, where sports coverage took an unprecedented turn into live, global news reporting during one of the most tragic and pivotal events in history. Together, we break down the film’s high-tension pacing ...

Holy smokes! This week on Cinemaholics, Jon Negroni and Will Ashton enter the sacred halls of Conclave, the latest thriller from Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front). Set against the backdrop of a Vatican papal election, the film dives into the labyrinth of faith, power, and political intrigue. We discuss Ralph Fiennes’ captivating performance as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, the high-stakes drama of electing a new pope, and ...

Today on Cinemaholics, Will Ashton delivers a short, spoiler-free review of Maria, Angelina Jolie's latest lead performance in a new biographical drama from director Pablo Larraín about legendary opera singer Maria Callas in 1970s Paris.

More information about Maria:

Angelina Jolie stars as Maria Callas, the iconic soprano, in Pablo Larraín’s Maria. This moving drama reimagines the legendary singer’s final days in Paris as she refl...

This week on Cinemaholics, Jon Negroni and Will Ashton take a real hard look at Jesse Eisenberg's A Real Pain, a film tackling generational trauma, identity crises, and the age-old question: are we in a Kieran Culkin Kierannaissance? We chat about its awards buzz, a Holocaust scene that's somehow pivotal and memorable, and the performances that make all the pain worth it. Plus, we break down the movie's balancing act between humor ...

Welcome to Cinemaholics. I'm Jon Negroni, and I've just seen Moana 2. Now, this isn't going to be an instant take review right out of the theater, mainly because I'm recording this the next day. So, this is going to be a little bit different. But I did want to put something out there before the movie comes out. It is Thanksgiving week, so I know a lot of you are maybe having some busier weeks, finding some time with family and ever...

This week on the Cinemaholics podcast, we enter the arena to discuss Gladiator II, the long-awaited sequel that brings back Ridley Scott as director along with some fresh talent. Including Paul Mescal in the lead role alongside Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, and Connie Nielsen. We kick off the show with some preamble about Wicked and Scott's filmography before clashing swords on the film itself. We discuss the overall themes of t...

Will Ashton gives his instant take review of Red One, directed by Jake Kasdan and starring Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, Kiernan Shipka, Bonnie Hunt, Kristofer Hivju, Nick Kroll, Wesley Kimmel, and J.K. Simmons.

Synopsis:

After Santa Claus – Code Name: RED ONE – is kidnapped, the North Pole's Head of Security (Dwayne Johnson) must team up with the world’s most infamous bounty hunter (Chris Evans) in a globe-trotting, actio...