Here’s the elevator pitch: It’s “Left, Right, and Center” meets “Siskel and Ebert.” Three friends from different ideological perspectives discuss the movies and controversies (or nontroversies!) swirling around them. Bulwark+ members enjoy weekly bonus episodes: https://atma.thebulwark.com/
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Atma.thebulwark.com Podcasts
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discussed the New York Times’s decision to move away from traditional reviews for certain cultural products. (You can read the Richard Brody piece discussed here.) Then they reviewed The Fantastic Four: First Steps, a perfectly fin…
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Canceling 'The Late Show': Business or Politics?
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discussed the cancellation of The Late Show. Is this move being motivated by politics or the declining economic prospects of linear TV more broadly? Then they reviewed Eddington, Ari Aster’s gonzo look at life in 2020, the year of …
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Apologies: an editing snafu led to last week’s episode being reedited and uploaded in the initial version of this post. On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask why Keanu Reeves, of all people, is the most-impersonated celebrity by scammers and how AI is being used to…
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discussed the bad precedents set by media outlets being bullied by Donald Trump into backing down from defending the free press. Then they review Jurassic World Rebirth, a dino adventure more interested in the ethics of big pharma …
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Is Denis Villeneuve the Right Guy for 'Bond'?
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss Denis Villeneuve’s new gig: director, Bond director. Is he the man for the job? And who should he bring on as his James Bond. What does James Bond even mean in the modern world? Then they review F1: The Movie, Apple’s first…
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In this bonus episode, Sonny, Alyssa, and Peter draft their favorite Danny Boyle films—from 28 Days Later to Slumdog Millionaire, Sunshine to Steve Jobs. But the real star of the show? Boyle’s new film 28 Years Later. The crew breaks down why it might be one of the best movies of the year—and how it redefines the legacy sequel.…
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Danny Boyle Says He Shouldn’t Have Made Slumdog. Should He?
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Danny Boyle says he couldn’t — and shouldn’t — make Slumdog Millionaire today. Sonny Bunch, Alyssa Rosenberg, and Peter Suderman dive into the cultural appropriation debate, the limits of identity in art, and how this all relates to Boyle’s latest film, 28 Years Later. They also tackle how these same culture-war battles are reshaping YA fiction, Ho…
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In this bonus episode of Across the Movie Aisle, Sonny Bunch, Alyssa Rosenberg, and Peter Suderman debate the state of the romantic comedy. Is When Harry Met Sally the unbeatable blueprint for the entire genre? Why have rom-coms fallen off—and are they finally making a comeback? They break down everything from Ephron classics and screwball oldies t…
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In this episode of Across the Movie Aisle, host Sonny Bunch is joined by Alyssa Rosenberg and Peter Suderman to unpack the outrage over indie film platform MUBI’s investment ties and whether ethical boycotts are even coherent in modern capitalism. Then they dig into Celine Song’s latest film Materialists, a rom-com that tries to be profound—but mig…
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the latest effort by conservatives to break into the world of big-time film production, this effort headed by Leonard Leo of the Federalist Society. Then they review The Phoenician Scheme, a movie some might describe as … c…
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask if the fractured media landscape makes it harder to mint movie stars. (You can read the discussed piece by Nicholas Quah here.) Then they review Lilo & Stitch, which has turned out to be a smash hit for Disney. Turns out famili…
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discussed how AI is both helping animators lip sync cartoons and also completely inventing books for summer reading lists. Then they review Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning, the conclusion of a series that has grown up with—…
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) say goodbye to Max and take a mild victory lap in the process. Then they review Friendship, the new cringe comedy from Tim Robinson and A24. Is it the feel-bad movie of the year or just a feel-bad movie? Make sure to swing by Bulwa…
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss Spencer Kornhaber’s feature in The Atlantic asking if this is the worst period of American pop culture ever. Then they review the first nine episodes of Andor ahead of the series finale that hits Disney+ today. (Some spoile…
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On this week’s episode, Peter’s off today, so Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark) is joined only by Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post) to discuss what, precisely, Donald Trump hopes to accomplish with his movie tariffs. Or what they’d even look like, really. Then they review Thunderbolts*, a well-reviewed standalone Marvel movie. What is this, 2014? Make…
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the aging up of our movie star roster. Then they review The Accountant 2, a buddy comedy masquerading as an action movie. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for our bonus episode about Revenge of the Sith. And if you …
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Alyssa is off this week, so Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark) and Peter Suderman (Reason) are joined by Ben Dreyfuss (Calm Down) to discuss all things Sinners. In cons and nons, they ask if Coogler’s unusual deal granting him copyright on the movie 25 years hence will really “destroy the studio system.” And then they review the film, which has done boffo b…
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the myriad ways in which tariffs could hurt (and maybe in one very minor way help) the entertainment business. Then they review Warfare, the latest film from Alex Garland and co-writer/co-director Ray Mendoza. No bonus epis…
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason/Coruscant) ask if the wild behavior of teens and tweens at A Minecraft Movie is good or bad for the moviegoing experience. Then they review The Studio, AppleTV+’s new panic attack in television form. Is it too stressful to be funny?…
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Trump's 'Free Speech Warrior' Goes After Free Speech
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Apologies: Due to an audio editing error, Peter Suderman’s track wasn’t audible in the first version of this file that went out. Everyone’s here now! —SB On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) examine how Donald Trump’s “warrior for free speech” at the FCC, Brendan Carr…
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask if Tom Ortenberg and Briarcliff’s mission to distribute contentious movies like The Apprentice and Magazine Dreams is a controversy or a nontroversy. (You can find the Wall Street Journal article referenced in the episode here.…
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss Joe Russo’s war on Harvey Weinstein (but not for the reasons you might think). Then they review Black Bag, a movie that makes marriage look fun. (Kinda. Depending on the fun you like.) Make sure to swing by Friday for a bon…
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) try to fairly adjudicate Kathleen Kennedy’s run at the Disney-owned Lucasfilm. Then they review Mickey 17, a movie that’s more committed to timely satire than big ideas. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for an episode on th…
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On this episode of Across the Movie Aisle, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) said goodby to Gene Hackman, who was found dead at the age of 95 last week. Then they discussed the Oscars, hosted by Oscar O’Brien. How was the show? What about the winners? Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Fri…
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) talked about Amazon’s newfound ability to greenlight James Bond vehicles without the approval of the Broccoli family or Eon Productions. What does this mean for the British superspy? Then they review the first proper MCU movie in n…
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the blight of the Inappropriate Laughers. (Here’s a gift link to the New York Times piece we reference.) Then they review I’m Still Here, the, uh, other foreign language film nominated for best picture at this year’s Oscars…
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Some websites and podcasts start putting out their best-of lists on December 1. Not Across the Movie Aisle. We want to make sure you had plenty of time to see all the award-season stuff. If it takes until February, well, so be it. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!By The Bulwark
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the, frankly, bonkers number of nominations received by Emilia Perez. Will the Academy favor it for best picture as a way to stick it to Trump? Then they review Presence, Steven Soderbergh’s new haunted house movie told fro…
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask what, precisely, Trump’s “ambassadors to Hollywood” are supposed to be doing. Then they review September 5, the harrowing tick-tock examination of how ABC Sports covered Black September’s terrorist attack at the Munich games th…
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) broke down why the PVOD window has settled where it settled. Then they review The Brutalist, Brady Corbet’s three-and-a-half hour portrait of artistry and immigration and assimilation in America. (We know this movie isn’t out in mo…
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discussed the announcement that a Melania Trump documentary is in the works with director Brett Ratner for Prime Video. (No, this is not Mad Libs.) Then they reviewed Nosferatu, Robert Eggers’s remake of the 1922 silent film by F.W…
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason), discussed Will Tavlin’s n+1 opus on Netflix and the rise—or maybe resurgence—of casual viewing as the primary mode of media engagement. Then they reviewed A Complete Unknown, James Mangold’s movie about Bob Dylan’s early years on …
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The Deranged Exuberance of 'Emilia Pérez'
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Merry Christmas Eve! On this week’s supersized episode to get you through the airport, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask if it’s a controversy or a controversy that Blake Lively’s costar and director, Justin Baldoni, seems to have orchestrated a virtual sliming of her in response to f…
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) looked at The Entertainment Strategy Guy’s breakdown of podcast stats and asked if this truly was “the podcast election.” Then they reviewed Kraven the Hunter, a movie so bad it killed an entire cinematic universe. (Kinda.) Make su…
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discussed a controversial (or possibly nontroversial?) op-ed in the New York Times asking if “the awkward diversity era” of blockbuster filmmaking is over. (Gift link there so you should be able to read it.) Then they reviewed Amy …
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask if it matters that people prefer AI slop to art produced by real-world hacks. (Kinda?) Then they review Wicked, a movie that’s half a movie despite being 160 minutes long. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for a discussi…
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) examine a shocking story in Vanity Fair by Vincenzo Barney about the legendary writer Cormac McCarthy’s “secret muse,” Augusta Britt, whom the 42-year-old writer met when the girl was just 16. Then they review Gladiator II, a disap…
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask if the Jake Paul/Mike Tyson “fight” that was “watched” (when they could get the stream to work) by “60 million people” (okay I’ll stop with the scare quotes) represents the future of streaming. Then they reviewed A Real Pain, J…
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) asked if wall-to-wall celebrity endorsements might have backfired on Kamala Harris. Then they reviewed Anora, a movie fascinating in both its sympathies and its judgments. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ for Friday’s bonus episode o…
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On this Election Day’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss Warner Bros. baffling decision to bury Clint Eastwood’s Juror No. 2. Why deprive young fogeys like this trio of a primo legal procedural from an aging master? Then they reviewed Conclave, another movie holding well …
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask if comic book legend Alan Moore is right to blame toxic fandom and arrested development for the rise of Trump. Then they review Venom: The Last Dance, a movie that’s bad … but watchably so? Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ for so…
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The Sprawling History of Neal Stephenson's 'Polostan'
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss both AI witchhunts and Blumhouse’s decision to partner Meta with filmmakers in an effort to bring AI into the filmmaking fold. (You can watch the video/ad by Aneesh Chaganty we discussed here.) Then, in a slight departure f…
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'Saturday Night' and the Excitement of the New
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask if social media influencers are the new Hollywood A-Listers. (Spoiler: they’re not. They’re something older and potentially much lamer but also maybe more interesting.) Then they review Saturday Night, a movie that revels in th…
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the dread toxic fandom, every executive’s favorite scapegoat for why their product failed to find an audience. Then they review Joker: Folie à Deux, one of the most disastrous sequels ever made. Make sure to swing by Bulwar…
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask why so few watch Netflix’s prestige pictures, and if it really matters. Then they discuss Francis Ford Coppola’s long-in-gestation epic fable, Megalopolis. Yes, it’s a mess, but is it a brilliant one? Make sure to swing by Bulw…
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the $2.2 billion in improvements to movie theaters, which are looking to add more premium screens and more … ziplines and pickleball courts? What could go wrong! Then they review Wolfs, which hits AppleTV+ on Friday and had…
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss Francis Ford Coppola’s libel suit against Variety, as well as a whacky idea for the theatrical presentation of Megalopolis. Then they review Rebel Ridge, a movie with a message. Were Sonny and Peter suckered in by the film’…
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss why indie studios like Neon can’t really afford great films like Hit Man anymore. Then they review Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, a nostalgia play with too many new elements. Thanks again to everyone who showed up for the live sh…
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss Bloomberg’s odd decision to bury Olivia Nuzzi’s interview show. (For background, make sure to read Ben Smith’s story on the matter.) Then they review A Quiet Place: Day One, which hit Paramount+ recently. Is the latest from…
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On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss the Megalopolis trailer disaster. (Plus: AI ranks the Across the Movie Aisle hosts!) Then they reviewed Blink Twice, a movie that prizes its message over its drama but doesn’t have a good hold on its message either. Make su…
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