OV489 - The Smashing Machine (2025) & The Strangers: Chapter 2 (2025) - Guest: Sam Watermeier

The Obsessive Viewer - Movie Review Podcast

This week, Sam Watermeier joins me to review the new Benny Safdie movie, The Smashing Machine in a feature review and then, in this week’s secondary review, we talk about Renny Harlin’s, The Strangers: Chapter 2. We also discuss recent movie and TV news, screenings around Indianapolis, Heartland Film Festival, Robert Redford, Heat 2, and more.

Timestamps

• Show Start - 01:29
• Introducing Sam - 04:31
• Screening in Indy - 10:49
• News Before the Reviews - 17:54

Feature Review

• The Smashing Machine (2025) - 23:51
• Spoiler - 1:06:57

Secondary Review

• The Strangers: Chapter 2 (2025) - 1:36:17

• Closing the Ep - 2:03:00
• Patreon Clip - 2:05:13

Related Links

• My Voice Work on The Endless Elsewhere Podcast
• My Guest Spot on Short Bites: A Stephen King Podcast
• OV429 - I Saw the TV Glow (2024) & The Strangers: Chapter 1 (2024) - Guest: Sam Watermeier
• Robert Redford, ‘Butch Cassidy’ and ‘All the President’s Men’ Icon, Dies at 89
• ‘Heat 2’ Moves From Warner Bros. to Amazon MGM as Michael Mann’s Sequel Gains Traction

• Sam’s Letterboxd
• Sam’s Writing on Midwest Film Journal
• Sam's Review of Arrow's Spawn 4K UHD Release
• Sam's Review of Are We Good?
• Sam's Review of The Strangers: Chapter 2
• Sam's Quick Takes Reviews of Twinless and Lurker

• My 2025 Podcast and Writing Archive
• Book Reaction - The Long Walk by Stephen King - Chapters 1-2 - Sept 18, 2025
• Book Reaction - The Long Walk by Stephen King - Chapters 3-5 - Sept 21, 2025
• Book Reaction - The Long Walk by Stephen King - Chapters 6-7 - Sept 28, 2025
• Book Reaction - The Long Walk by Stephen King - Chapters 8-10 - Oct 4, 2025
• Patreon Special - Yojimbo (1961) at the Kan-Kan - Aug 27, 2025
• Patreon Special - High and Low (1963) at the Kan-Kan - Aug 24, 2025
• Immediate Reaction - Together (2025) - Jul 23, 2025
• Patreon Companion Episodes Collection

Indianapolis Theaters

• Heartland Film Festival
  • The Tenderness Tour Documentary at HIFF34
• Alamo Drafthouse Indy
• Kan-Kan
• Living Room Theaters
• Keystone Art
• Flix Brewhouse

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Mic Info

• Matt: ElectroVoice RE20 into RØDEcaster Pro II (Firmware: 1.6.6)
• Sam: Samson Q2U via USB in Google Meet

Episode Homepage: ObsessiveViewer.com/OV489

Next Week on the Podcast

• OV490 - Roofman (2025) & Bone Lake (2025)