Podcast Assemble

WE DID IT! It’s a Podcast Assemble milestone - 200 episodes in, and what better way to celebrate than with a film that derailed an entire childhood? Tommy’s been splitting time between Hell Is Us (moody, existential, and probably not finished) and Shrinking (Jason Segel unravelling in style). DL’s meditating on the Jedi Code. And this week, the boys revisit the galactic fever dream that is The Phantom Menace - the film that asked, What if space wizards had senate hearings?Timecodes:Intro (00:00)What Have We Been Up To? (07:11)MAIN TOPIC: Star Wars Episode 1 (23:26)Stupid Plot Summary (24:34)Plot (25:25)Who is a Human, who's a Muppet? (29:37)When did you watch Episode 1? (31:43)So, Jar Jar Binks then? (49:29)Darth Maul: Duel of the Fates (51:47)Action (1:01:41)Tones & Themes (1:04:55)3 Best & 3 Worst (1:07:33)Critical Reception (1:10:46)Better or Worse than Aquaman (2018)? (1:11:22)Trivia True or False (1:13:34)Wrapping Up (1:16:49)Main Topic:Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace is George Lucas at his most Lucas. It’s got politics, podracing, and a child with dangerous midi-chlorian levels. It introduces us to Darth Maul (the best character with the least screen time), the somehow-royal Queen Amidala, and everyone's "favourite" Gungan, Jar Jar Binks. Tommy’s still hates Liam Neeson. DL's trying to see the good in it (mostly John Williams). There’s lore, there’s lightsabers, and there’s SENATE HEARINGSIs The Phantom Menace an ambitious, misunderstood space opera—or just a two-hour galactic trade dispute with cool sound design? Let us know at [email protected] or hit us up on socials. Website || Instagram || Twitter || YouTube || Email****************************And while we've got you, we'd love it if you gave us a 5 star review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and let us know what you think of the show.#ThePhantomMenace #StarWars #ObiWan #JarJarBinks #DarthMaul #PrequelTrilogy #DarthVader#podcast #moviereview #movietok

This week's episode is brought to you by No Country for Old Films! Tommy & Reg's new podcast - check them out on YouTube, Spotify and all the socials!Grab your contractually obligated Lycra and energy drink sponsorship - it’s time for another turbo-charged episode of Podcast Assemble! This week, the boys are joined by. Regs! Tommy’s been brushing up on L.A. Confidential (because noir never dies), DL’s still swimming with The Sopranos (he’s all in on gabagool culture). Then it’s on to the big reboot of the dystopian deathmatch classic: The Running Man (2025).Timecodes:Intro (00:00)What Have You Been Up To? (19:18)MAIN TOPIC: The Running Man (2025) (32:24)Stupid Plot Summary (35:43)Cast & Crew (39:28)Goofy IMDB Picture (40:56)About Running Man (46:31)Plot (54:07)Performances (1:14:23)Tones & Themes (1:15:51)3 Best & 3 Worst (1:22:04)Critical Reception (1:27:34)Better or Worse than Aquaman (2018)? (1:29:07)!! SPOILERS START !! (1:31:27)!! SPOILERS END !! (1:37:08)Trivia True or False (1:37:18)Wrapping Up (1:39:55)Main Topic:The Running Man (2025) reboots the Reagan-era bloodsport satire for a streaming-obsessed world—and somehow makes it feel even more plausible. Contestants now fight for their lives in a gladiator arena that looks suspiciously like a YouTube thumbnail. The new host is as bombastic, the deaths more algorithmic, but will the 1987 classic be getting a revival after this? DL thinks it has its moments. Tommy’s mostly impressed they managed to make it more depressing and more expensive.Is The Running Man (2025) a smart, savage update—or just Black Mirror with gym memberships? Let us know at [email protected] or hit us up on socials. Bonus points if you can explain what Ghost actually does.Website || Instagram || Twitter || YouTube || Email****************************And while we've got you, we'd love it if you gave us a 5 star review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and let us know what you think of the show.#podcast #moviereview #movietok #TheRunningMan2025 #DystopianCinema #StreamingKills #BattleRoyaleReboot #StephenKingAdaptation

Lock and load—it’s time for another heat-vision-fuelled episode of Podcast Assemble! Tommy’s diving deep into 'Empire of Silence' by Christopher Ruocchio (lyrical and epic), and Del Toro’s 'Frankenstein' (what you get if Mary Shelley met Gotye). Then it’s onto Predator: Badlands (2025)—because the jungle wasn’t harsh enough, apparently.Timecodes:(00:00) – Intro(11:04) – What Have You Been Up To?(29:56) – MAIN TOPIC: Predator Badlands (2025)(30:47) – Stupid Plot Summary(31:14) – Cast & Crew(31:34) – Plot(34:34) – Who stays human, everyone else is a muppet?(42:14) – No Practical Effects?(50:24) – Action(51:04) – Tones & Themes(51:38) – 3 Best & 3 Worst(53:45) – Critical Reception(54:44) – Better or Worse than Aquaman (2018)?(55:31) – ⚠️ SPOILERS START ⚠️(1:03:58) – SPOILERS END(1:04:04) – Trivia True or False(1:07:29) – Wrapping UpMain Topic:Predator: Badlands strips away the jungle, suspense, and fun—and replaces it with generic planet. Generic alien planet. Set in a monster filled dystopia where the Predator must prove itself. This was certainly a movie. It’s a survival thriller that forgets to thrill.Is Predator: Badlands a gritty return to form—or just another sand-blasted scream into the franchise void? Let us know at [email protected] or hit us up on socials. Website || Instagram || Twitter || YouTube || Email****************************And while we've got you, we'd love it if you gave us a 5 star review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and let us know what you think of the show.#podcast #moviereview #movietok #PredatorBadlands #ChristopherRuocchio #GuillermoDelToro #EmpireOfSilence #Frankenstein2025

Lace up your fireproof spandex—it’s time for another dystopian episode of Podcast Assemble! This week, DL’s been to Egypt (queue tinfoil hat time), while Tommy’s was really disappointed with Peacemaker season 2. Then it’s time to drop into The Running Man (1987), where Arnie outruns death and network ratings—sometimes simultaneously.Timecodes:Intro (00:00)What Have You Been Up To? (20:21)MAIN TOPIC: The Running Man (1987) (33:32)Cast & Crew (35:38)Plot (37:20)Did You Watch This Growing Up? (42:05)Themes (47:51)Music (52:12)World-Building (53:40)Performances (55:38)Movie vs Book (57:15)Tones & Themes (07:20)3 Best & 3 Worst (08:51)Critical Reception (1:11:58)Better or Worse than Aquaman (2018)? (1:13:01)Trivia True or False (1:15:01)Better or Worse than Aquaman (2018)? (1:08:26)Wrapping Up (1:19:09)Main Topic:The Running Man is peak '80s dystopia: bright colours, big muscles, and a future so grim it's basically Tuesday. Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as a wrongly accused man forced into a televised murder gauntlet hosted by a smarmy game show host and patrolled by stalkers with the subtlety of WWE villains. It’s satire, it’s camp, it’s somehow prophetic. Tommy loves the campiness. DL still trying to process the Stalkers' outfits. Spoiler: there's an opera singing Christmas tree.Is The Running Man biting social commentary wrapped in neon lycra—or just a dumb, glorious excuse for Arnie to punch buzzsaws? Let us know at [email protected] or hit us up on socials.Website || Instagram || Twitter || YouTube || Email****************************And while we've got you, we'd love it if you gave us a 5 star review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and let us know what you think of the show.#podcast #moviereview #movietok #TheRunningMan #ArnoldSchwarzenegger #80sActionMovies #DystopianCinema #StephenKingAdaptation

Assemble your resistance fighters and daddy issues - it’s time for another heavy-hitting episode of Podcast Assemble! Tommy’s bringing Naked Gun 2025 to the table (it exists, and somehow isn't terrible), while DL’s dusted off the spine of The Wheel of Time Book 1—because nothing says light reading like 800 pages of lore. Then it’s onto this week’s main event: Paul Thomas Anderson's latest spectacle One Battle After Another—the slow-burn epic with more trauma than gunpowder.Timecodes:Introduction (00:00)What Have You Been Up To? (07:30)Main Topic: One Battle After Another (2025) (23:05)Stupid Plot Summary (24:28)What did I miss? (26:06)Plot (28:17)Performances (38:44)Tones and Themes (45:49)3 Best & 3 Worst (47:05)Critical Reception (51:24)Better or Worse than Aquaman (2018)? (52:34)!! SPOILERS !! (53:28)!! END OF SPOILERS !! (05:26)Trivia True or False (1:05:29)Wrapping Up (1:08:18)Main Topic:One Battle After Another is not your dad’s war film. It’s part PTSD spiral, part arthouse endurance test, and full of actors staring into the middle distance like they’ve forgotten their lines—or their will to live. The film drops you into the trenches and never quite lets you out. The boys have some spicy opinions about those 100% Rotten Tomato scores that were flying around.Is One Battle After Another a poignant portrait of soldierly despair—or a prestige drama trapped in slo-mo? Let us know at [email protected] or hit us up on socials.Website || Instagram || Twitter || YouTube || Email****************************And while we've got you, we'd love it if you gave us a 5 star review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and let us know what you think of the show.#podcast #moviereview #movietok#OneBattleAfterAnother #LeonardoDiCaprio #WarMovies2025 #PrestigeCinema #NakedGun2025 #WheelOfTime