Now Playing: The Predator Movie Retrospective Series

Can a zombie movie be a good comedy? Can a comedy be a good zombie movie? In the hands of Writer/Director Edgar Wright and Writer/Star Simon Pegg the answer was yes. Fresh off the hit British comedy Spaced the duo broke into America with this zomromcom - the film that became the first film in their Three Flavors Cornetto trilogy (called the Blood & Ice Cream trilogy in the US). Now as the trilogy concludes with The World's End Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob revisit Shaun of the Dead. Does the film work as horror, comedy, romance, or all of the above? If you donate and support Now Playing Podcast you can listen and find out!

Nothing can stop the undead. They just keep coming, and if you kill one two more take their place until eventually you have an unstoppable zombie horde. The same can be said for zombie movies themselves! Since the one-two punch of 28 Days Later and Sack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead the zombies have grown larger and larger, and this weekend in theaters comes the biggest zombie movie of them all--World War Z. Starring Brad Pitt as a UN investigator this film was intended to kick off a trilogy of big-budget zombie action films. Does this film continue the pile-on of zombie hits or is this one zombie who should have stayed dead? Donate to support Now Playing to find out!

It's hard to kill a zombie in Return of the Living Dead. Shoot them, burn them, they keep coming back for more brains. But after 1993 it seemed the zombies had finally been killed for good by the most harrowing of enemies--intellectual property rights issues. Leave it to Hollywood to never leave money on the table, though, as the zombie resurgence of the early 21st century with 28 Days Later and Dawn of the Dead enabled Return of the Living Dead to crawl from the grave again with not one but two low-budget, direct-to-SyFy Channel sequels. This week on Now Playing's bonus donation series Stuart, Arnie, and Jakob watch the first of these films: Return of the Living Dead--Necropolis. Is watching this film worse than eating cooked, zombified rat? If you donate to support Now Playing you can listen and find out!

For Return of the Living Dead 3 studio Trimark Pictures brought in Brian Yuzna, a horror producer and director best known for the ground-breaking Re-Animator films. Yuzna worked with writer John Penney to create a zombie love story. Starring future O.C. actress Melinda Clarke as Julie, a goth girl with a new found taste for brains, Return of the Living Dead 3 had much different in tone than the previous two films. Is this change for the better? Donate to Now Playing and you can listen and find out!

It's been 22 years since Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell left obscurity in Detroit and went to a cabin in the woods that would start their careers and scare the hell out of moviegoers. With Raimi reaching big-time success with big-budget films like Oz and Spider-Man it seemed that the Evil Dead franchise would remain lifeless, but in 2013 it was back with a poster promising "The Most Terrifying Film You Will Ever Experience." Raimi and Campbell remained involved as producers, but directing fell to first-time filmmaker Fede Alvarez. Does this return to terror work for Evil Dead, or is it another forgettable horror reboot? DONATE to Now Playing to find out!

This summer, Superman flies back onto the big screen in Man of Steel, the first reboot of the superhero in 35 years! To prepare for Zach Snyder's film, join Stuart, Arnie, and Jakob at NowPlayingPodcast.com as we look at a new Superman film each week, ending with a week-of-release review of Man of Steel.

The Evil Dead remake is out and getting tons of good buzz, and Now Playing is giving it the full retrospective treatment looking at Sam Raimi's original three Evil Dead films and the 2013 remake! It's one of the series in the Now Playing Spring 2013 donation drive! It's zombie-mania! Donors get bonus thank you podcasts of Evil Dead, World War Z, 28 Days/Weeks Later, and Return of the Living Dead! Listen for a preview of Evil Dead, and how you can her the entire series!

YO JOE! This week sees the release of G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Prepare by joining us as we review all 3 G.I. Joe movies--the 1987 cartoon film, the 2009 live action film, and this week's new release! Hear all the reviews at NowPlayingPodcast.com!

As we build up to Man of Steel this summer, Now Playing hosts Stuart, Jakob, and Arnie are looking at some lesser known DC Heroes -- Tank Girl, Constantine, and Jonah Hex. Hear all the reviews at NowPlayingPodcast.com!

It's been 20 years since they've had their own film, but thanks to Robert Rodriguez the Predators are back on the big screen! Producer Rodriguez and director Nimrod Antal are taking the alien hunter back to his jungle roots, and with the Predators going up against Adrien Brody, Laurence Fishburne, and Danny Trejo it's bound to excite both sci-fi and action fans. But this time are the Predators right on target, or have they again missed their mark? Listen as Arnie, Stuart, and Brock review this final film in the Now Playing Predator Retrospective Series!

It's been 20 years since they've had their own film, but thanks to Robert Rodriguez the Predators are back on the big screen! Producer Rodriguez and director Nimrod Antal are taking the alien hunter back to his jungle roots, and with the Predators going up against Adrien Brody, Laurence Fishburne, and Danny Trejo it's bound to excite both sci-fi and action fans. But this time are the Predators right on target, or have they again missed their mark? Listen as Arnie, Stuart, and Brock review this final film in the Now Playing Predator Retrospective Series!

Paul W.S. Anderson's match-up between Aliens and Predators may have left many fans of both franchises out in the cold, but the box office tallies made a rematch inevitable--thus 20th Century Fox gives us Aliens vs Predator: Requiem. Attempting to right past wrongs, the studio made this film with a "hard R" rating, including an unrated cut on DVD, and gave the directing reins to the special effects duo, the Brothers Strause. Was the battle so much sweeter the second time around? Listen to Stuart, Arnie, and Brock to find out!

Paul W.S. Anderson's match-up between Aliens and Predators may have left many fans of both franchises out in the cold, but the box office tallies made a rematch inevitable--thus 20th Century Fox gives us Aliens vs Predator: Requiem. Attempting to right past wrongs, the studio made this film with a "hard R" rating, including an unrated cut on DVD, and gave the directing reins to the special effects duo, the Brothers Strause. Was the battle so much sweeter the second time around? Listen to Stuart, Arnie, and Brock to find out!

When Freddy and Jason's team-up killed at the box office, it didn't take long for 20th Century Fox to greenlight another long-anticipated cinematic crossover--Alien vs. Predator. Having already fought on the pages of comic books and in video games, these two classic extra terrestrials took their battle to the big screen, continuing an ancient Predator coming-of-age ritual in Antarctica, with a group of humans, including Charles Bishop Weyland played by Lance Henriksen, in the middle. Was this another dream team-up for fans of both franchises, or a monster mash-up gone horribly awry? Listen to Arnie, Brock, and Stuart's review to find out!

When Freddy and Jason's team-up killed at the box office, it didn't take long for 20th Century Fox to greenlight another long-anticipated cinematic crossover--Alien vs. Predator. Having already fought on the pages of comic books and in video games, these two classic extra terrestrials took their battle to the big screen, continuing an ancient Predator coming-of-age ritual in Antarctica, with a group of humans, including Charles Bishop Weyland played by Lance Henriksen, in the middle. Was this another dream team-up for fans of both franchises, or a monster mash-up gone horribly awry? Listen to Arnie, Brock, and Stuart's review to find out!