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Johnny is joined this week by the ghost of Love Island U.K. icon and winner Ekin-Su to talk about how she ended up as one of the two Brits on The Traitors U.S., the slow-acting poison that resulted in her murder, why she got under the skin of so many of the other contestants, and so much more.
Host: Johnny Bananas
Guest: Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu
Producer: Sasha Ashall
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Is comedy dead? Can ‘Ted’ fix it? Is this show even watchable without the devil’s lettuce? Charles and Logan raise these questions and more!
Charles and Logan dive into Seth MacFarlane’s grimy quasi-sitcom Ted, which acts as a prequel to the 2012 movie Ted and 2015 sequel Ted 2. Is comedy dead? Can Ted fix it? Is this show even watchable without the devil’s lettuce? After discussing these pressing questions, they talk about the other trashy shows they’ve guiltily (or not) partaken in recently.
Hosts: Charles Holmes and Logan Murdock
Producer: Sasha Ashall
Subscribe: Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Stitcher
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Greetings, Polygon readers! Each week, we round up the most notable new releases to streaming and VOD, highlighting the biggest and best new movies for you to watch at home.
This week, The Marvels, the latest movie installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is finally available to purchase on VOD. That’s not all, though, as Taika Waititi’s sports comedy Next Goal Wins is also available to purchase, along with several other new releases available to rent. The Kitchen, Daniel Kaluuya’s directorial debut set in a dystopian London, is streaming on Netflix along with Dumb Money, the comedy-drama based on the GameStop short squeeze of 2021. That’s not even mentioning all the other streaming releases on Hulu, Mubi, and AMC Plus this week!
Here’s everything new to watch this weekend!
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Photo: Claire Folger/Sony Pictures
Genre: Biographical comedy-drama
Run time: 1h 45m
Director: Craig Gillespie
Cast: Paul Dano, Pete Davidson, Vincent D’Onofrio
Remember the GameStop short squeeze of 2021? No? That’s OK — admittedly, it was a very hectic and wild time, what with the whole… everything going on. In case you’re looking for a refresher, this movie about a middle-class financial analyst who struck big during the squeeze might be just what you’re looking for.
From our review:
Where The Big Short was patronizing but still hugely entertaining and legitimately informative, Dumb Money’s creators seem uninterested in explaining what the hell happened with the GameStop scenario, or how the hell it happened. The script assumes that the audience is either already familiar with the story, or doesn’t much care about the financial specifics and just wants to see the news reenacted by people they know. Most of the jargon goes unexplained, and the series of events that facilitated the saga is just shrugged off in favor of a simplistic “isn’t this crazy?!” tone.
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
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Photo: Chris Harris/Netflix
Genre: Sci-fi drama
Run time: 1h 47m
Directors: Daniel Kaluuya, Kibwe Tavares
Cast: Kano, Jedaiah Bannerman, Hope Ikpoku Jr
Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out, Black Panther) teams up with filmmaker Kibwe Tavares for his directorial debut: a sci-fi drama set in a dystopian London where social housing has been eliminated. The film follows the story of Izi and Benji, a father and son who fight to survive as an impoverished community is besieged by state-sponsored violence.
Where to watch: Available to stream on Hulu
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Photo: Magnolia Pictures
Genre: Documentary
Run time: 1h 55m
Directors: Bethann Hardison, Frédéric Tcheng
Cast: Tyson Beckford, Stephen Burrows, Naomi Campbell
This documentary chronicles the life and impact of Bethann Hardison, a pioneering model and activist who fought for racial diversity in the fashion industry.
Where to watch: Available to stream on AMC Plus
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Photo: Laurent Champoussin/IFC Films
Genre: Drama
Run time: 2h 3m
Director: Sébastien Marnier
Cast: Laure Calamy, Doria Tillier, Dominique Blanc
A twisty French thriller about a woman trying to reconnect with a rich family she claims she’s a part of, The Origin of Evil was a late addition to our list of the best movies of 2023.
As my colleague Tasha Robinson put it in her write-up there:
Unpacking every lie and scheme in this movie takes every minute of its run time, and it’s guaranteed that audience sympathies will shift half a dozen times in the process. As a crime story, it’s a gem; as a character story, it’s even better.
Where to watch: Available to stream on Mubi
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Image: MUBI
Genre: Romantic comedy-drama
Run time: 1h 21m
Director: Aki Kaurismäki
Cast: Alma Pöysti, Jussi Vatanen, Janne Hyytiäinen
This romantic drama follows the story of Ansa (Alma Pöysti) and Holappa (Jussi Vatanen), two lonely single people who meet by chance in a karaoke bar in Helsinki. Overcoming multiple mishaps and their own insular idiosyncrasies, the two strike up an awkward yet endearing courtship.
Where to watch: Available to purchase on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
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Photo: Laura Radford/Marvel Studios
Genre: Superhero action
Run time: 1h 45m
Director: Nia DaCosta
Cast: Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani
The 33rd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe sees the return of Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), also known as Captain Marvel. This time around, she’s teaming up with the superpowered Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) to save the universe from the threat of a vengeful Kree leader bent on restoring her home world.
From our review:
In its best moments, The Marvels just throws wonderful ideas at the screen. There’s a planet of people who only sing, a space station full of cats that blithely devour furniture and humans alike, an animated depiction of Kamala’s internal monologue — the movie can feel like a mood board assembled by an overcaffeinated Star Trek fan, with a sense of imagination suitable for reminding the audience that comic books can be cool in the moment that you’re reading them, as opposed to for what they promise in the future.
Where to watch: Available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
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Genre: Sports biopic
Run time: 2h 3m
Director: George Clooney
Cast: Joel Edgerton, Callum Turner, Jack Mulhern
When I think of the 1936 Summer Olympics, I think of Jesse Owens and the incredible things he accomplished in the sprint and long jump events in front of a German crowd passionately rooting against him. But another group of Americans also made history while vying for Olympic glory — the University of Washington rowing team, a group of working-class athletes whose story is told in George Clooney’s latest directorial effort.
Where to watch: Available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
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Image: Warner Bros Pictures
Genre: Coming-of-age musical
Run time: 2h 21m
Director: Blitz Bazawule
Cast: Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo
Based on Alice Walker’s 1982 novel, this musical adaptation follows the story of Celie (Fantasia Barrino), a woman in an abusive marriage torn from her sister and children, who finds strength through her friendship with Shug Avery (Taraji P. Henson), a singer with an indomitable spirit.
Where to watch: Available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
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Image: Searchlight Pictures
Genre: Sports comedy-drama
Run time: 1h 44m
Director: Taika Waititi
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Oscar Kightley, Kaimana
Michael Fassbender (The Killer) stars in Taika Waititi’s sports movie based on the real-life American Samoa national football team and their qualification attempt for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Fassbender portrays Thomas Rongen, the Dutch American coach who agrees to help shape the once notoriously bad team into a competitive qualifier.
From our review:
Next Goal Wins fails to properly capture what made the story of the American Samoa national football team so compelling, by attempting to make a film so universal that it discards the sport itself as unimportant. Which it might be in terms of letting the audience relate to the team as individuals. But it’s such a cookie-cutter underdog story that it rarely moves past the most superficial “Care because this movie says you need to care” level.
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Ian is joined by Ryan Hunn and Flo Lloyd-Hughes to react to the news that Sarina Wiegman has signed a new contract to manage the England women’s national team through to the 2027 World Cup (04:14). They discuss Jordan Henderson’s move to Ajax, bringing a premature end to his controversial move to Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League, and what this means for his future and his reputation (17:59). Then, to celebrate Ian’s role in the new Netflix film The Kitchen, he talks about his experience on set (27:33) and working with Kano and Daniel Kaluuya. Between them, they come up with a list of all-time great films they’d love to watch on a film night with the whole Wrighty’s House crew (35:18).
Host: Ian Wright
Guests: Ryan Hunn and Flo Lloyd-Hughes
Producers: Ryan Hunn, Roscoe Bowman and Jonathan Fisher
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Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay are back to discuss the surprising numbers coming from the second COVID surge (05:46), masculinity and Black men in dresses within Hollywood (14:33), and Florida’s State Board of Education passes regulations against DEI programs (46:18). Then they get into the surprising revelations regarding Roda Osman, a.k.a. the “Brick Lady” (1:07:14).
Hosts: Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay
Producers: Donnie Beacham Jr. and Ashleigh Smith
Additional Production: Aleya Zenieris
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Matt and James Andrew Miller talk about whether Lorne Michaels will step down and, if so, who could replace him
Matt is joined by journalist, author, and SNL expert James Andrew Miller to discuss whether Lorne Michaels will actually step down after the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live in 2025 and, if so, who is best suited to replace him. They also discuss the state of the show, its struggle with political humor, and its lack of star power.
For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, What I’m Hearing …, click here.
Host: Matt Belloni
Guest: James Andrew Miller
Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez
Theme Song: Devon Renaldo
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This breakdown of the documentary A Disturbance in the Force was originally published when the movie debuted at the 2023 SXSW Conference. It has been updated for the movie’s digital release.
For a couple of decades after its one-time-only broadcast on Nov. 17, 1978, The Star Wars Holiday Special was a secret handshake among nerds. “Weird Al” Yankovic’s “White & Nerdy” video contains a scene where Al buys a bootleg VHS of the special in an alley next to a dumpster, winking at how much currency this infamous televised fiasco had among fans in the days before YouTube. Now, a quick search on that particular site will pull up multiple full-length uploads of the special — much to the presumed angst of George Lucas, who has publicly expressed his desire to destroy every copy of Star Wars’ first big misstep himself.
Just because The Star Wars Holiday Special is easier to find in 2023 doesn’t make it any less baffling, however. Once a fan discovers its existence and watches it, however they’re able to access it — Lucasfilm has never officially released The Star Wars Holiday Special, and probably never will — a series of questions inevitably follow. “What?!” comes first, followed by “Why?” and “How?” The documentary A Disturbance in the Force seeks to answer these queries.
The film kicks off with the “WTF?” of it all, in a montage that includes sound bites from pop culture talking heads like Seth Green and Kevin Smith, both of whom have inextricably tied their personas to their love of Star Wars. These are intercut with legacy clips of Star Wars actors, including Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher, refusing to discuss the special, setting it up as a holy grail and appealing mystery: “The Star Wars oddity they don’t want you to see!”
This part of the film is fine. It’s fun and it’s lively, but it doesn’t really add anything to the legend. Then the film brings in people who can answer the questions raised by the special, rather than simply restating them in colorful ways, and A Disturbance in the Force becomes something far richer and more interesting.
Photo: Lucasfilm
The most surprising thing A Disturbance in the Force reveals about The Star Wars Holiday Special is the caliber of talent involved. The crew was the best 1978 television had to offer, and CBS called in its top stars to make appearances on the show. And yet, somewhere, somehow, everything went to hell. Here are a few questions that are actually addressed in A Disturbance in the Force:
In short, because of a combination of conventional wisdom about movie promotion in the late ’70s and George Lucas’ spite toward 20th Century Fox. At the time, Star Wars was not embedded in our cultural consciousness the way it is now, and studio executives thought the enthusiasm about the movie would be temporary, in spite of its box-office success. An executive told Lucas that in a meeting in the summer of 1977, and Lucas began pushing to get Star Wars characters on TV as much as possible, to prove that exec wrong. (The fact that Star Wars toys were still being rolled out a year after the movie first hit theaters, and that Lucas had a personal financial stake in the sales of those toys, didn’t hurt.)
At the time, variety specials were TV staples — more common than rollicking sci-fi adventures told in the style of old-fashioned serials, which meant that Lucas’ new movie model got stuffed in an old box to sell it to the masses. A Disturbance in the Force argues that The Star Wars Holiday Special was not the worst of Star Wars’ late-’70s TV appearances: That honor goes to a 1977 episode of Donny & Marie in which Donny Osmond played Luke, Marie Osmond played Leia (who was, at the time, still Luke’s love interest, not his sister), and Kris Kristofferson played Han. The clips shown in the doc support this thesis.
A combination of factors comes into play here. First, the original director, David Acomba, was fired after three days for spending most of the show’s budget within those 72 hours. Steve Binder, a pro who had also directed the Elvis ’68 comeback special, stepped in to finish the job. But Binder had another commitment that prevented him from being involved with the editing of the special, so that job fell to a pair of producers named Ken and Mitzie Welch, who had made plenty of variety shows, but knew nothing about editing, Star Wars, or sci-fi in general.
Bob Mackie, who was RuPaul’s and Whitney Houston’s favorite fashion designer, and the premiere costumer for film and TV in the late 1970s. Mackie, now 84, has a great sense of humor about the whole thing, and his interviews are a highlight of the film.
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Photo: Lucasfilm
Like the rest of the masks used in The Star Wars Holiday Special’s cantina scene — and the original Mos Eisley Cantina in Star Wars, for that matter — the rat was a leftover from another production that effects artist Rick Baker had worked on in the past. The rat was also featured in the 1976 creature feature The Food of the Gods.
More misguided conventional wisdom: CBS executives thought viewers would change the channel if they saw subtitles.
Because they had a song called “Hyperdrive,” and the band had “Starship” in its name. Really.
Not really. TV was more ephemeral in the days before VCRs became commonplace, and interviewees in the doc who saw The Star Wars Holiday Special as kids say that they and their peers thought it was awesome — mostly because of its Boba Fett cartoon, which marks Fett’s first official appearance in the universe. Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni were two of those kids, which is why Mando’s rifle on The Mandalorian is modeled after Fett’s on the holiday special.
The company has started selling Life Day merchandise, and has declared Nov. 17 — the day the special aired on CBS — as an official Star Wars holiday in its theme parks. So, as always with Disney: It’s fine with any ancillary product, so long as the company can make money off of it.
Some mysteries are best left unsolved. All we know is that Cher was supposed to play the Diahann Carroll role, but dropped out at the last minute.
A Disturbance in the Force is now available for digital rental via Amazon, Vudu, and Apple.
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Dave is joined by Chris Ying, Chris Bianco, and Kelly Meinhardt for the first of two episodes. Part 1 deals with an interesting traffic-based conundrum, a check-in on Master of Your Domain, and Chris Bianco’s secret Instagram weakness.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Guests: Chris Bianco and Kelly Meinhardt
Producers: Victoria Valencia, Cory McConnell, and Euno Lee
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The boys are here to give you their thoughts on the first event of Echo, along with their Midnight Meter rating of the full first season (13:030). Later, they try their hand at being in the big chair for a round of Armchair CEO to see what they would do with the new Daredevil TV show (70:20).
Hosts: Charles Holmes, Van Lathan, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman
Senior Producer: Steve Ahlman
Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopal
Social: Jomi Adeniran
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Vince Staples is getting his own Netflix series. The rapper, and occasional actor, first tweeted about his show on Monday, but it wasn’t until Wednesday that we got our first look at it in Netflix’s new trailer and it already looks great. The series, called The Vince Staples Show, will premiere on Feb. 15.
The trailer starts off with Vince arriving at his home and sitting down on the couch to watch TV with his girlfriend. As she asks him about his day, we see brief flashes from the show, of Vince beefing with someone in a mascot costume, getting recognized during a bank robbery, and struggling to order fast food.
The trailer seems to be more interested in communicating the vibe of the show than any actual plot details, but it’s pretty successful nonetheless. Each scene looks weirder, funnier, and more tense than the last. It would be hard for an offbeat series created by a rapper to dodge comparisons to the Donald Glover-created Atlanta, but weirdly the trailer has a similar feel to Uncut Gems too, where Adam Sandler’s minor New York celebrity took him to some pretty terrible places.
While Staples is mostly a musician, this isn’t his first time trying to get a show off the ground. He also created a much smaller version of The Vince Staples Show for Facebook back in 2019, but that series was short-lived. Since then, Staples has shown up on series like Abbott Elementary and Insecure.
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Jo and Rob break down the Fargo Season 5 finale. They discuss their personal feelings on the final episode, how the characters of Indira Olmstead and Witt Farr fall flat in the end, and the conclusion to Gator’s redemption arc. Along the way, they briefly talk about the intense prison scene between Lorraine and Roy. Later, they’re joined by the creator and showrunner of Fargo, Noah Hawley, to talk about how this season grapples with the symptoms of a divided America, the final confrontation between Dot and Ole Munch, how he goes about creating likable family characters, Witt Farr’s demise, and much more.
Hosts: Joanna Robinson and Rob Mahoney
Guest: Noah Hawley
Producer: Kai Grady
Subscribe: Spotify
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Sean, Amanda, and Chris gather to auction draft the movies they’re most excited for in 2024, including both Zendaya vehicles, Dune Part 2 and Challengers; Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey 17; Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis; and more (1:00). Then, Sean is joined by first-time feature director Jake Johnson to talk about his movie Self Reliance (1:17:00) and how he views it as fitting in the larger arc of his career on and off the screen.
Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins
Guests: Chris Ryan and Jake Johnson
Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner
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The Ringer’s Chris Ryan, Andy Greenwald, and Zach Baron order Raisin Bran so there wouldn’t be any mistaking it for a date as they rewatch David O. Russell’s 2012 romantic comedy-drama Silver Linings Playbook, starring Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, and Robert De Niro.
Producer: Craig Horlbeck
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Jomi and Steve are joined by Jessica Clemons for another exciting edition of “Here Comes the Pitch,” but this time around, we’re breaking out our best melodies and lyrics! Listen and be amazed as the three journey through some of their best musical ideas pulling from the endless pool of IP. There may or may not be some singing on the way!
Host: Jomi Adeniran and Steve Ahlman
Guest: Jessica Clemons
Producer: Jonathan Kermah
Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopal
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Chris and Andy talk about the first episode of True Detective: Night Country. They discuss how it differs from the past True Detective iterations (1:00) and how the setting’s constant nighttime affects the story (24:56). Then Chris is joined by creator Issa López to talk about how she came up with the idea for the show and working with Jodie Foster (35:37).
Hosts: Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald
Guest: Issa López
Producer: Kaya McMullen
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In a special weekend episode, Johnny is joined by his good friend and House of Villains Season 1 champion Tanisha Thomas to talk about her iconic reality television career, how their friendship grew on House of Villains, their experiences in the finale episode, and more.
Host: Johnny Bananas
Guest: Tanisha Thomas
Producer: Sasha Ashall
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Sean and Jo return to break down the Season 1 finale of The Curse. They discuss the extremely bold conclusion, whether or not the final episode has a deeper meaning beneath it, and the subsequent provocation of critics and viewers alike. Along the way, they debate whether Asher was actually cursed and his final attempt to win over Whitney’s approval. Later, they talk through similarities (and differences) between the Showtime series and Twin Peaks.
Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Joanna Robinson
Producer: Kai Grady
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It’s time to join Mal and Jo for the first Marvel endeavor of 2024 in the form of Echo (10:13). They take on the entire season drop and get into what made the show work and not work for them (28:32). Later, they break down easter eggs and much more.
Hosts: Mallory Rubin and Joanna Robinson
Senior Producer: Steve Ahlman
Additional Production: Arjuna Ramgopal
Social: Jomi Adenira
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Rachel Lindsay and Callie Curry kick off today’s podcast by sharing their reactions to the riveting Summer House trailer that dropped this week (2:10), before diving into The Real Housewives of Potomac Season 8, Episode 8 (8:38). Then, Rachel and Callie break down Season 13, Episode 11 of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (30:41), followed by Part 1 of the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Season 4 Reunion (54:28).
Host: Rachel Lindsay
Guest: Callie Curry
Producer: Devon Baroldi
Theme Song: Devon Renaldo
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