This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt continue to work their way down the sex worker ladder with Sean Baker’s latest, ‘Anora’. Then they highlight an extremely specific and relatively unlikely ,but no less valid, danger of religion with ‘Heretic’. As always they give you the big releases on physical media, the Viper Video and Streaming picks o…

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt discuss the post-rapture horror film, ‘Azrael’, featuring current scream queen Samara Weaving. Does the mostly dialogue-less film deliver the scares and dread? Or does it feel like a gimmick? And is that Esperanto I hear…? There’s the death-defying rundown of the big releases on Physical Media, featuring t…

This week on the First Run, Chris and Matt check out the final installment of Sony's Venom series, ‘Venom: The Last Dance’. Does the series go out with a bang or a whimper? You can probably guess but the guys will give you the final word on how it is. As always, Chris will bring the big releases on physical media, the Viper Video and streaming pick…

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt dial up the carnage and suffering. First up, director Parker Finn takes over the reins for the solid ‘Smile’ film sequel with ‘Smile 2: Still Smilin‘’. Who’s our smile demon going to possess this time? And why is it never someone with a jacked up grill? After that, it’s the grin-inducing rundown of the big…

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt adjust the tracking on their VCRs to no avail with the latest in the V/H/S series, ‘V/H/S Beyond’. Then, they’ll give you the rundown of the Big Releases on Physical Media, featuring the Viper Video and Streaming Picks of the Week. Finally, Matt and Chris will wrap up the show with their all killer, no fil…

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt find themselves back in early 80’s Gotham with the return of ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’. The first film received a less than stellar reaction from your erstwhile hosts. Can Todd Phillips’ latest musical super-hero film win them over? Then there’s the maniacal rundown of the big releases on Physical Media, featu…

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt go big, some would even say mega. Big stars, big performance choices, big run times with Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis. We’ll give you the big releases on physical media, the viper video and streaming picks of the week. Then we wrap it up with our Top 5 Four film directorial runs. 00:00-21:45: Intro/M…

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt find themselves the closest mirror and take a long look at themselves aging… just getting so old… and discuss Coralie Fargeat’s ‘The Substance’. Demi Moore returns with a power house performance in possibly the most divisive horror films of the year. There’s the life-splitting rundown of the big releases o…

This week on The First Run, Matt and Chris make some new friends and go on a quiet retreat in the country with ‘Speak No Evil’. Surely, nothing bad will happen at all. Then they catch up with the latest from First Run Favorite Jeremy Saulnier for a bit of the ultra-violence (?) with ‘Rebel Ridge’. As always, they give you the big releases on Physic…

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt discuss the return of that madcap demon, Beetlejuice in ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’. Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara and Tim Burton return, this time with Jenna Ortega (queen of the requel) to tell bring us up to date on the Deetz family as they are tormented by Beetlejuice one more time. There’s the undead r…

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt catch up with the latest film about the dangers of AI, the boogeyman du jour, with Blumhouse's, ‘AfrAId’. Then it’s on to the latest from John Woo, who remakes his own classic of the genre, for some reason, with ‘The Killer’. As always there is the rundown of the big releases on Physical Media, featuring t…

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt bring back the double-feature just for you! Specifically you [enter name here]. First up it’s the reboot of the middlingly popular Crow franchise with, ‘The Crow’. One of the Skarsgård kids plays Eric Draven with pop music star FKA Twigs as Shelly. Director of the original film, Alex Proyas is having a bla…

This week, it’s a team-up with ScreenRun and The First Run as The Lady Wan, Chris Scalzo, and Matt Howell suit up and shoot into space one more time for the latest in the Alien franchise, ‘Alien: Romulus’. Fede Alvarez of ‘Evil Dead’ and ‘Don’t Breathe’ directs the latest foray into deep space terror as a group of desperate people try to scavenge a…

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt dive headfirst into the cinematic wonderland of the latest releases—so you don’t have to! This week, they’re cracking open the latest in arthouse horror from Neon, ‘Cuckoo’! Is ‘Cuckoo’ a mind-bending masterpiece or just a confusing cluck-fest? Are they the crazy ones for watching it—or are you for listeni…

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt return to Pennsylvania and the M Knight Shyamalan universe with ‘Trap’. The Hartnett resurgence continues, but is the film with walking into? a trap. Get it? There’s the diabolical rundown of the big releases on Physical Media, featuring the Streaming and Viper Video Picks of the Week. Then Matt and Chris …

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt take one last spin around the block with the Fox Marvel Films, an inconsistent friend that delighted and hurt is in equal measure. Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman show you what true besties look like with Deadpool and Wolverine. They give you the big releases on physical media, the Viper Video and Streaming…

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt batten down the hatches and prepare for the worst. It’s ’Twisters’ week, featuring ‘Twisters’! This time, it’s Glen Powell and a potentially catatonic Daisy Edgar Jones chasing them tornadoes. Does this retooling of a beloved 90’s disaster film spin is all up with excitement? There’s the pressure-dropping …

This week on The First Run, it's time for another wide theatrical Nic Cage release! Chris and Matt catch up with the man's latest unhinged performance with Oz Perkins’ ‘Longlegs’. Promoted as the scariest movie of the decade, but what about just 100 minutes of smothering dread? Then there’s the big releases on Physical Media, featuring the Viper Vi…

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt play the shortest game of 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon ever with a discussion of Ti West’s trilogy capper, ‘MaXXXine’. Mia Goth returns to wreak havoc in 1980’s LA in her pursuit of stardom, regardless of you gets in her way. Then it’s the neon-drenched review of the big releases on Physical Media, featuring t…

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt catch up with the latest from Yorgos Lanthimos, the hardest working man in show business, with the unexpected anthology film, ‘Kinds Of Kindness’. There’s the love-struck break down of the big releases on Physical Media, featuring the Viper Video and Streaming Picks of the Week. Then Matt and Chris wrap it…

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt discuss the high octane action thriller you never saw coming with ‘Thelma’. June Squibb finally lands the top of the call sheet at the tender age of 94. Think of it as Hot Fuzz for The Villages. Then there’s the non-stop thrill ride that is the big releases on Physical Media, featuring the Steaming and Vip…

This week on The First Run, Matt and Chris get in touch with their feelings with the latest from Pixar with, ‘Inside Out 2’. As always, there’s the joy-inducing rundown of the big releases on Physical Media, featuring the Viper Video and Streaming Picks of the Week. Then Matt and Chris wrap it up the big show with their Top 5 Family Films. Will Chr…

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt have just had enough of each other. And funnily enough, both decide to engage with Richard Linklater’s ‘Hitman’, featuring up and coming (and just leaning over the Tatumline) leading man, Glen Powell. Chris shares his thoughts, and fears, regarding the debut feature by Ishana Night Shymalan with, ‘The Watc…

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt do their best menacing slow walk as they check out ‘In A Violent Nature’, the latest horror film to flip the horror script by asking "What if we just follow the bad guy?" They give you the big releases on physical media, the Viper Video and Streaming Picks of the Week. Then Matt and Chris wrap it up by try…

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt rev their engines and prep for another beautiful day with the Mad Max Fury Road prequel, ‘Furiosa’. It’s a dive into the back story of Fury Road’s ultimate bad ass, with an actor swap out from Charlize Theron to Anya Taylor-Joy. So is this entry also all shiny and chrome? Then the guys bear witness to the …

This week on The First Run, Matt and Chris dip their toes into the nostalgia pool and let the capital M Metaphor wash over them with the latest from A24, ‘I Saw the TV Glow’. As always they give a run down of the big releases on physical media, the Viper Video and Streaming Picks of the Week. Then the wrap up it all give you a glimpse into what giv…

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt travel into the Planet of the Apes future, many generations in the future to be exact, to see the beginning of a new trilogy with, ‘Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes’. Gone is Caesar and…everyone else. Are we ready for the next chapter? Do we care? Next is the banana filled festival that is the rundown of …

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt jump into their 1980 GMC K25 and do some donuts on the beach with Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt in ‘The Fall Guy’. The guys run down the big releases on physical media, featuring the Viper Video and Streaming Picks of the Week. Then they get creatively bankrupt and give Jimmy Hollywood some ideas with a run…

This week on The First Run, since everyone is talking about ‘Challengers’, Chris and Matt watched ‘Boy Kills World’. Genre films are the bread and butter of The First Run, and no amount of Zendaya led love triangles and threesomes will keep them from their revenge-action films. Was there even an Eiffel Tower in ‘Challengers’? Don’t waste anyone’s t…

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt bust out the garlic and crosses as they check out ‘Abigail’, a treatise in how terrifying precocious children can be. Then they slog into the Zack Snyder muck once more so you don't have to with ‘Rebel Moon: The Scargiver’. They'll give you the rundown on the big physical media releases, the Viper Video an…

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt embed themselves in Alex Garland’s latest (and final?) directorial effort, ‘Civil War’. If you’ve ever wondered what would happen in the United States if society finally broke down over which way the toilet paper should be hung. Or maybe it was if Chicago pizza is real pizza? Something bad, I’m sure. There…

How do you feel about nuns in peril? Well, if you're for it, then the guys have a treat for you. This week, Chris and Matt do a deep dive into the Nunsploitation renaissance of 2024 with ‘The First Omen’ and ‘Immaculate’. They give you the rundown of the big releases on Physical media, featuring the Straight to DVD and Streaming Picks of the Week. …

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt book a round trip back to Hollow Earth to check in on our good buddy, King Kong. Nope, sorry. Just Kong. It’s ‘Godzilla X Kong: New Empire’. Not only do we get a big box full of Kong, we get a bunch more giant apes, a baby Kong, and an ancient ice breathing titan. And if we’re lucky, maybe Godzilla will sh…

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt sign out their weird, grumpy uncles from the assisted living home for yet another trip to the paranormal well with ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’. Does the gang still pack an unlicensed nuclear accelerator punch? Then Matt and Chris ask the age-old question “Can you improve upon B-Movie perfection?” with th…

Well, well, well. It’s our big 700th episode extravaganza, that we’ll be treating like every other episode. This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt check back into the Rose Glass hotel for more raw and earnest filmmaking. This time out, it’s Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian in the lesbian crime thriller, ‘Love Lies Bleeding’. Then it’s a blast f…

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt check out one of two 2024 films about imaginary friends. First up, it’s the latest Blumhouse horror joint, ‘Imaginary’. What happens if your imaginary friend turns out to be a jerk? Two films about imaginary friends in a single year doesn’t sound like a lot but it’s weird that it happened. Then they check …

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt saddle up a grand poppa Sandworm and ride into Dune-iverse with Dune Part 2. While it’s Christmas morning for Matt, after Part 1, Chris felt like he needed to see Part 2 in order to get the whole experience. Whelp, swing and a miss on that one. As we’re clearly in the middle of a larger story, how does Dun…

This week on The First Run, Matt’s been bitten by a Sumatran Rat Monkey and is feeling a bit under the weather, but we shall soldier on! First up, it’s Ethan Coen’s solo debut, ‘Drive Away Dolls’, featuring Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan as two lesbian friends on a road trip that take a turn south, literally and figuratively. Then the N…

This week on The First Run, ‘Madame Web’ breaks a Sony/MCU record. But not one of the good ones. Could the critics be wrong and just simply unable to appreciate a fun action film? Or is it just another example of ‘go woke, go broke’?!? Can Dakota Johnson finally cross the Tatum Line for Chris? Then, as a potential welcome respite, Matt and Chris pa…

This week on the First Run, Chris and Matt head back to the Stone Age and huddle closer to the flames to ward against the terrors of the night with ‘Out of Darkness’. Then they watch Jason Statham be the Stathamest Statham he can be as he bucks against type as a man who’s the best at what he does but what he does isn’t very nice in ‘The Beekeeper’.…

Let’s try and break into the algorithm and go viral. At the Grammy’s this past Sunday, Tay-tay herself, MISS Taylor Swift announced her new album, ‘The Tortured Poets Department’, dropping April 19th. Throughout the show, Matt and I will be dropping tidbits about the new album with a full discussion its production and an early listen to the first s…

This week on the First Run, Chris and Matt take a leisurely trip to the bucolic Polish countryside where everything is totally normal and nothing is out of place with The Zone of Interest. Then they shift gears to take in some mom-tainment for a change with the swimming biopic Nyad. They run down the big releases on physical media, give you their s…

This week on The First Run, it’s primary night! Can Nikki Haley topple Donald Trump and steal a primary win? Can Joe Biden win the state without even being on the ballot? Will Ron DeSantis now feel comfortable removing the lifts from his cowboy rasslin’ boots? And after that Chris and Matt are going to discuss Cord Jefferson’s ‘American Fiction’, n…

This week on The First Run, it’s all A24 all the time. First up is the tragic story of the Von Erich wrestling family in Sean Durkin’s ‘The Iron Claw’. Then the Matt and Chris delve into the relationship between two friends as their lives diverge across the decades with Celine Song’s ‘Past Lives’. As always, they bring you the big releases on Physi…

This week on The First Run, it’s a Matt Howell special! It’s biopic week! We’re only missing horror comedies or plays to push Matt over the top. First up, Michael Mann’s ‘Ferrari’, featuring Adam Driver as the titular spaghetti loving talking car, Ferrari. Then Bradley Cooper’s passion project, ‘Maestro’, featuring the life and times of potentially…

This week on The First Run, Matt and Chris review three films for you! Lord help us. First up is the difficult to describe critical darling ‘Poor Things’, starring Emma Stone. Is it delightfully weird, a little too self-satisfied with its indulgences, or maybe it’s both? Then we check out ‘Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom’, the death rattle of the ofte…

Sadly, Chris is on the injured list with a bad head cold and no voice. So enjoy this brand new opening from Matt and a re-broadcast of our 2023 Preview featuring the 10 films Chris and Matt were most excited about. How did that end up shaking out…? Don’t worry, the guys will be back next week with an extra super-sized gorgeous episode featuring ‘Aq…

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt fire up the ol’ Netflix engine to discuss a pair of…interesting films. First up, the Obama’s produced ‘Leave The World Behind’. Sam Esmail’s adaptation of the book brings together a great cast as they deal with something kind of potentially cataclysmic event. Or not? Maybe? Then it’s on to Todd Haynes’ lat…

This week on the First Run, Chris and Matt check out the latest and supposedly last film by the legendary Hayao Miyazaki, ‘The Boy And The Heron’. Then it’s time to check in on winter break with Alexander Payne’s reunion with Paul Giamatti in, ‘The Holdovers’. There’s the non-denominational review of the big releases on Physical Media, featuring th…

This week on The First Run, Chris and Matt rejoice in the return of the OG Kaiju, it’s ‘Godzilla: Minus One’! We’re back in post-war Japan, and Big G’s ready to tear stuff up. But instead of being an allegory for post atom bomb destruction, now we’re focusing on the people at ground level. Expanding the human side of the story is a gamble. Is there…