After watching Dune Pt. 2 last year and Predator: Badlands last week, we are convinced that the key ingredients for a modern sci-fi hit are aliens using crazy tech to fly around rocks set to the score of some didgeridoo-sounding vocals. If your film includes that winning formula, count us seated and locked in.
Here’s what we have for you this week:
Concession Stand Scorecard: The Running Man
Watchlist Worthy: Miranda Presley’s office
ICYMI: Who drafted the better horror movie: Eric, Kelly, or Josh?
This week’s movie - The Running Man
Letterboxd Description:
Hunt him down.
Desperate to save his sick daughter, working-class Ben Richards is convinced by The Running Man’s charming but ruthless producer to enter the deadly competition game as a last resort. But Ben’s defiance, instincts, and grit turn him into an unexpected fan favorite - and a threat to the entire system. As ratings skyrocket, so does the danger, and Ben must outwit not just the Hunters, but a nation addicted to watching him fall.
Best Watched With
That friend whose ego says, “I could do it.”
End Credit Thoughts
The Running Man is the SIXTH Stephen King adaptation we’re getting in 2025 (The Monkey (movie), The Life of Chuck (movie), The Institute (show), The Long Walk (movie), and It: Welcome to Derry (show). A brilliant novelist teaming up with the brilliant filmmaker, Edgar Wright. What’s not to love? But is it worth the time and cash to see it on the big screen? Let’s get into it.
First, this is not a remake of the 1987 film The Running Man. It’s a new adaptation: same name, new game, different story.
The general idea remains present. Contestants must survive being hunted by game show killers to win the grand prize, a game hosted by Big Network, which owns and controls the socioeconomics in this dystopian world. Death? Lies? Families torn apart? Who cares; anything is fair game when it comes to the ratings. However, it’s not within controlled environments that the contestants have to battle to the death, but rather it’s within the general public. The world is the playing field as long as they can remain hidden and not found by either the hunters, the government, or turned in by the public. There’s definitely social commentary layered throughout the action, the drama, and, of course, because it’s a Wright movie, a little bit of humor.
Rather than being forced to compete, Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is driven by the pains and struggles of poverty to make the difficult decision to try out for The Running Man television show. The world is cruel, and it’s difficult for a majority of people to provide basic needs, like food and healthcare, for their loved ones, pitting society up against one another.
Glen Powell has proven himself to be a leading man and does well in this one. He has the charisma to be likable and vulnerable, which makes us root for him. However, he demonstrates his emotional range by tapping into a fiery rage in the name of justice, which is understandable and at times terrifying.
Beyond Powell, the cast is stacked. Some with more well-known names, but all with a depth of talent. Josh Brolin, Colman Domingo, Jayme Lawson, and Katy O’Brian to name a few. A lot of new stars for a Wright production, but Michael Cera holds it down as someone who has worked with the British filmmaker. Cera and Domingo are a DELIGHT here. We might be biased, particularly Josh, since Cera’s character drinks a certain beverage loaded with caffeine, B vitamins, and taurine that Josh can’t seem to go a day without. Cera provides comedic relief while also advancing the story. And Domingo, in a fly ass suit, brings the spectacle and the sass to the show, eating up every minute he has. It may be Powell’s movie, but it’s Domingo’s world. And we’re just living in it.
The Running Man is an action-packed film that never leaves heart and humanity behind. The stress is high, and the risks are even higher. The world built may be a little too close to home, but for this reason, it easily connected us to the story and got us invested from the beginning. We could see this movie being enjoyed on any screen, but the edge definitely goes to the silver screen.
Watch this one in theaters.
Want to know more about our individual rankings of movies? Follow us on Letterboxd:
@justjoshperez
@ericharrison
@kellyharrison
@newmexicodrew
The Devil Wears Prada 2 directed by David Frankel
Academy Award Winner Meryl Streep
Academy Award Winner Anne Hathaway
Academy Award Nominee Emily Blunt
Academy Award Nominee Stanely Tucci
That’s all.
-jp :)
Letterboxd Description:
Miranda Priestly navigates her career amid the decline of traditional magazine publishing. She faces off against Emily Charlton, her one-time assistant, now a high-powered executive for a luxury group, with advertising dollars that Priestly desperately needs.
Also Directed by David Frankel:
The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Horror Movie Draft: Creating Our Own Horror Movies #65
Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
🎥 Watch this episode on YouTube
Josh, Eric, and Kelly go head-to-head, building their own theoretical horror movies by drafting from nine specific categories. The episode is filled with chaotic energy, accusations of cheating , and a deep-dive analysis of why Christian Venegas doesn’t watch movies.
Let us know who had the best horror movie draft in the comments on Spotify, YouTube, Instagram, social media, email, or text message.
Draft Categories
The hosts built their movies by drafting picks in the following 9 rounds:
Director
Setting
First Character to Die
Final Girl (or Survivor)
Two Ensemble Characters
Soundtrack
Villain (Outside the Horror Genre)
Horror Subgenre
The Twist
Tune in next week for | Wicked: For Good
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Running Man didn't really do it for me. I agree with your points about Powell's performance - he was great.