Maximum Film!

As a MaxFunDrive milestone goal, we set the challenge that if we got enough new/upgrading/joining supporters of Maximum Film!, one of those folks would get to pick a movie for us to do an episode on. Well, thanks to supporters like Molly, we hit that goal, and this episode is the result: PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE (one of Molly's faves) is a 1974 rock musical fantasmagoria from early in writer/director Brian DePalma's career. It's box-office flop-turned cult classic. And it is heavily reliant on the dubious cultural power of songwriter and actor Paul Williams.  

As if this episode needed to be MORE special, we also mark the mid-year by naming some of our favorite films of the year so far.

What's Good?

Alonso - oh, let's call it "current events"

Drea - fixing her own portable AC unit

Marissa - Paramount+ (sorry) has a 90s sitcom "live" channel

Kevin - reading Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow

ITIDIC
GLAAD Study Shows Drop in LGBTQ Characters in FIlm
A Look Back at the Pop Culture of 1974…

Staff Picks

Drea - Horsegirls

Alonso - Ishtar

Marissa - Tommy

Kevin -  River [Ribâ, nagarenaide yo]

 

Kevin at Comic-Con: 
Malcolm & Friends Panel: Thursday, 12:30pm, Room 6A
The Pitching Hour: Friday, 12pm, Room 32AB

 

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinmaxfilm

Follow us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, or Letterboxd
With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde
Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Amber Sealey joins us to discuss the new marriage dramedy from Olivia Wilde, which premiered at Sundance and is now opening across the country. Costarring Wilde, Seth Rogen, Edward Norton, and Penelope Cruz, it provokes laughs, anger, rug envy, and that perennial question: are the straights okay? Then we discuss our favorite films that are set in a single location!

What’s Good

Alonso - Christian Marclay’s The Clock returns to LACMA; Spain in World Cup quarterfinals

Drea - Emily Wilson’s translation of THE ODYSSEY

Amber - potpourri basket of hippie gum; Skylight Books opening an Eagle Rock location

Kevin - young love drama before Shrek at Cinespia

ITIDIC
Alamo Drafthouse to Begin Screening Unsold Festival Darlings
Universal Opts to Skip “Influencer Screenings” for THE ODYSSEY

Staff Picks

Alonso - Splitsville

Drea - Widow’s Bay (because An Unmarried Woman and The Heartbreak Kid aren’t streaming) 

Amber - Such Brave Girls

Kevin - The Invitation

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinmaxfilm

Follow us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, or Letterboxd
With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde
Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

It’s neither a bird, nor a plane, nor Superman. It’s Supergirl, the newest film from James Gunn’s DC that has some folks talking, but probably not as many as Warner Bros. would like. We’ve got LA Times film critic, Unspooled co-host, and friend of the show Amy Nicholson along to talk about the stellar highs and dank cave lows, plus we name some of our favorite superhero movie acting performances.

What’s Good

Alonso - binging THE BOYS

Drea - watching an accidentally funny moment on repeat in the film Jefferson in Paris for the Supporting Actresses podcast

Amy - watching The World Cup (and YouTube videos of dog agility competitions)

Kevin - digging through original Backrooms videos, and other short films (Alone Time, The Hole)

ITIDIC
'Michael’ Becomes the Highest-Grossing Biopic Ever
Netflix Announces Weird Willy Wonka Project

Staff Picks

Drea - True Grit

Alonso - Minions & Monsters

Amy - Buffet Infinity

Kevin - Aline

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinmaxfilm

Follow us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, or Letterboxd
With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde
Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

LEVITICUS is the new Australian horror movie that turns (already quite frightening) gay conversion rituals into something even more haunting. And with us to unpack it is our friend Justin Kirkland, who just happens to have a new podcast exploring (with good humor!) how the Bible has been yielded as a weapon. Then we imagine some classic romances with a devilish twist.

What's Good?

Alonso - UDM14.com

Drea - Bentonville Film Festival 2026!

Justin - Launch of This is Not a Weapon podcast

Kevin -  life-changing coasters

ITIDIC
AmazonMGM Bails on Guadagnino’s Almost-Complete Sam Altman Movie
Madonna Says Her Biopic was Scrapped at Universal Over Budget

Staff Picks

Alonso - The Boys in the Band (1970) (in new 4K UHD!)

Drea - Color Book and Maddie's Secret

Justin - The Birdcage

Kevin - Invaders from Mars (1953)

 

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinmaxfilm

Follow us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, or Letterboxd
With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde
Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Steven Spielberg's new film may be about conspiracies, coverups, and car chases, but it all hinges around the concept of journalism you can trust...so who better to join us than our favorite trusted journalist (and movie podcaster, with UNCLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER), NYT columnist Jamelle Bouie! We put DISCLOSURE DAY under the microscope, then talk about some directors whose filmographies reveal hidden secrets.

What's Good?

Alonso - chicken soup

Drea - Lawrence, KS welcoming Algeria for the World Cup

Jamelle - making your own stock

Kevin - Guy Branum's My Life as a Goddess

ITIDIC
AMC Postpones Concert Simulcast Plan to Make More Room for…Movies
Sean Penn Directing a Jan 6 Movie Starring Bradley Cooper (maybe?)
SUPERGIRL’s Cape Uses Fabric from Original Reeve Superman Cape

Staff Picks

Drea - The Furious

Alonso - Jewel's Catch One

Jamelle - George Wallace (1997)

Kevin - September 5

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinmaxfilm

Follow us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, or Letterboxd
With
Kevin Avery
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde
Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher