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This week on New Release (episode #155) … hostfaces Ashley and Drew take a stab at the plucky franchise that’s been schooling us in horror for over 25 years. Scream VI—The New Class or The College Years—is a direct sequel to last year’s requel that introduced Jenna Ortega and company to the legacy franchise. We share our thoughts on the new ‘Core 4’ dynamic, run through the kills, and play Guess that Ghostface! Yes, we are going to spoil all the twists and turns and goofy plot machinations you expect from this bloody whodunnit. Who lives, who dies, and how many more Screquels are coming our way. Stay locked for another year or six by searching ‘New Release’ on Spotify or Apple to subscribe. Spirited Away next week! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newrelease.substack.com

This week on New Release (episode #154) … poshcasters Ashley, Derrick, and Drew are joined by superstar guests Jamie and Jenn to kick around an old favorite. Bend It Like Beckham is multi-cultural celebration of women pursuing their dreams. What a joy to watch something from the early aughts that hasn’t turned cringe over the years. Directed by Gurinder Chadha, the strong Indian influence gives the production an energy you rarely get from cynical American filmmakers. Warning: this whole episode is an absolute praise-fest, so we hope you can find a place in your ice cold hearts for a big shot of motherlovin’ fun. Bend your ears and untuck your tears by searching ‘New Release’ on Spotify or Apple to subscribe. We’re back in 2023 next week for Scream 6. Ahhhhhhhhhhh! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newrelease.substack.com

This week on New Release (episode #153 overall and #2—of 2—in our BAD NEWS BEARS miniseries) … apex podcasters James, Jenn, and Drew form a line for the latest, greatest movie about a big animal doing massive amounts of cocaine. Cocaine Bear is what it says it is. Based on approximately 1% of a real news story from the 80s—where a bear died after ingesting drugs that fell from the sky—this piece of historical fiction sacrifices accuracy for thrills and brutal kills. We discuss our favorite maulings, how the characters got us hooked, and whether or not this movie is pro powder. Whatever you do … DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS BLOW—unless they’re adorable wittle baby bears. Listen with reckless abandon by searching ‘New Release’ on Spotify or Apple to subscribe. And join us for Bend It Like Beckham next week! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newrelease.substack.com

This week on New Release (episode #152) … old ass pledges Derrick and Drew join a brotherhood of misfits. Old School takes one dumb idea—what if middle-aged men started a frat—and expands that into a feature length adult comedy. The performances by Ferrell, Wilson, and Vaughn are on point, as always, but how does everything else hold up? Boys will be boys, I guess, no matter what age they reach. Turns out, revisiting broad comedies at the 20-year mark is a risky proposition. Nonetheless, you can’t stop us from having a good time whether it’s hanging with Snoop or picking out patio furniture at the Home Depot. Your membership to our all-inclusive podcast family is waiting for you when you search ‘New Release’ on Spotify or Apple to subscribe. We won’t even ask you to tie a cinderblock to your junk. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newrelease.substack.com

This week on New Release (episode #151 overall and #1—of 2—in our BAD NEWS BEARS miniseries) … Pooh aficionados Jenn, Mo, and Drew go knee-deep in a new honey pot of horror. W-t-P: Blood and Honey shamelessly exploits our history with a boy and his beloved bestie bear to mixed success. Sure, we’ve always wondered if Pooh had abandonment issues and now we have our answer. Hell yes. And Piglet, too. We discuss whether this low budget slasher lives up to our modest expectations or falls flat on its anthropomorphized face. Come for the kills, stay for the overalls in this very special birthday episode. Search ‘New Release’ on Spotify or Apple to subscribe. Cocaine Bear up next! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newrelease.substack.com

This week on New Release (episode #150) … convicts Ashley and Drew double down with their bad selves. Infinity Pool puts viewers in the uncomfortable position of watching what happens to your humanity when you see a perfect duplicate of yourself—being executed—in your place. Is that the ultimate thrill, the vacation of a lifetime, or the beginning your inevitable decent into nothingness? We’re so excited to be able to share this special look at a couple’s trip gone wrong with you on the most romantic day of the year. Gather your partners round and round for the latest body and psychological horror flick from Brandon Cronenberg. His dad David must be so proud—or intimidated—to have a son carrying on his grotesque legacy. We’re all only offspring, after all. Join our brood by searching ‘New Release’ on Spotify or Apple to subscribe. Happy V-day 🥰 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newrelease.substack.com

This week on New Release … numskulls Ashley, Derrick, and Drew face their worst fears. Logs. Final Destination 2 is a tragic tale about having your spring break ruined by a stupid highway disaster. Not fair, man. Cheating death is what we’ve been training our whole lives for. All you have to do is break the order or save a baby or drive into a lake. If that fails, then fast forward to the next movie and repeat. All the FDs follow the same ridiculous formula, but if you enjoy extravagant kills and buttloads of gore, then you’ve come to the right place. The hits never stop hitting when you search ‘New Release’ on Spotify or Apple and subscribe. Buckle up! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newrelease.substack.com

This week on New Release (episode #147 overall and #2—of 2—in our SUNDANCE ‘03 miniseries) … local yokels Ashley and Drew go all-in on the indie experience. All the Real Girls is a sweet slice of Southern life starring Paul Schneider (who you may know from Parks & Rec), Zooey Deschanel, and Danny ‘Bust-Ass’ McBride. There’s a naturalism and beauty to the way writer-director David Gordon Green captures his subjects in their natural habitat. Is it slow? Sure. Quirky? Check. Does the dialogue feel improvised half the time? Damn skippy. It’s got all the hallmarks of a Sundance special. If you like a little codeine in your coffee, you’ve come to the right place. Visit Park City and beyond with your favorite time-traveling podcasters—each week—by searching ‘New Release’ on Spotify or Apple to subscribe. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newrelease.substack.com

This week on New Release (episode #146 overall and #1—of 2—in our SUNDANCE ‘03 miniseries) … festies Ashley, Derrick, and Drew hit the road to Park City, Utah for the annual Sunny-D indie film festival. Let’s start with American Splendor, the bold and authentic biopic/documentary film that won over audiences and jury members alike. We get into what makes this unusual mix of storytelling styles so invigorating for first-time viewers. Impressive performances. Smooth jazz. Sadness. Blur the lines between real and fiction with us, every week, by searching ‘New Release’ on Spotify or Apple to subscribe. Till next week. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newrelease.substack.com

This week on New Release … lil’ runts Derrick and Drew traverse the violent underbelly of Rio de Janeiro. City of God captures the extreme highs and extreme lows of life in the favela. We follow The Tender Trio, Rocket, Carrot, Benny, Li’l Dice, Knockout Ned, and dozens more characters playing the shitty hands they were dealt as best they can. Their stories are told with so much energy and verve and life that it hurts even more when tragedy inevitably brings things to a standstill. How did this low budget Brazilian movie with inexperienced actors become an international hit? Authenticity for one. Slick filmmaking combines with gritty subject matter to make the experience hit that much harder. 2003 is coming out hot, so search ‘New Release’ on Spotify or Apple to subscribe. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newrelease.substack.com

*Season 4 Premiere* This week on New Release … old fools Ashley, Derrick, and Drew look ahead to looking back at a life changing year for movies. 2003 perfectly encapsulates the beautiful mess that is early aughts cinema. We get to bounce between formative indies like Thirteen and Lost in Translation to the dramatic conclusions of both the Lord of the Rings and Matrix franchises. And who could forget that leg scene from Cabin Fever—or—“You’re my boy, Blue!”. Hold on, The Terminator is governor of California? Whatever, it’s time for New Release to flip high school the bird and go streaking back to college. If you think you have what it takes to join this unsanctioned fraternity for film lovers, then search ‘New Release’ on Spotify or Apple to subscribe. Believe me, 2003 is absolutely—without a doubt—going to be—the BEST YEAR EVER! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newrelease.substack.com

New Release presents Episode #4—the final one—of our first annual KILLER CHRISTMAS miniseries … nogged-up Drew welcomes Jamie and Meg to the party to ring in Christmas with a POW, pal! Join us for our yearly tradition of marveling over Bruce Willis’ greased up tank and totally bare feet in Die Hard. Nakatomi Plaza is the only place to be this holiday season … come on up to the 30th floor and don’t mind the male shampoo models with machine guns, they’re probably just lost. Anywho, I bet you’re dying to know which drinking rules the Movie Shots Club cohort have concocted for you to play along with at home. So listen closely as we celebrate Holly being a boss and Hans damn near stealing the show. HO-HO-HO, who wouldn’t know to search ‘New Release’ on Spotify or Apple to subscribe. Till next year, homies. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newrelease.substack.com

New Release presents Episode #3 of our first annual KILLER CHRISTMAS miniseries … attic addicts Ashley, Derrick, and Drew watch in horror as a groundbreaking slasher movie gets remade and butchered time and time again. Four years before Halloween, Black Christmas laid the groundwork that so many future psycho killers would follow. Obscene phone calls (coming from where???). Memorable deaths. Female leads. And, most remarkably, a final girl with real ambition and agency. I mean, what could go wrong when the Weinstein bros remake this progressive classic 30 years later? Or maybe you prefer the overt feminist lens applied to the 2019 version—made by a female creative duo. We do our best to highlight the virtues of all three in this spectacular holiday triple feature. Share the love by searching ‘New Release’ on Spotify or Apple to subscribe. Killer Christmas concludes next week. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newrelease.substack.com

New Release presents Episode #2 of our first annual KILLER CHRISTMAS miniseries … animatronic Ashley, Derrick, and Drew, with a special call-in by Jamie, bite off two giant patties of holiday beef to gnaw on this week. Hopper from Stranger Things dons a Santa suit in the action-packed Violent Night (in theaters now). Meanwhile, a robot terminator Santa axe murders hipsters in Christmas Bloody Christmas (on Shudder). The holiday fear meter is off the charts with this combo of Die Hard + Home Alone + RoboCop + The Terminator. A killer equation divisible by the square root of too many skull squishes to count. If you enjoy the formula, then you’ll want to search ‘New Release’ on Spotify or Apple to subscribe. We’ve got plenty more presents to unwrap this season … and most of them are leaking. Everywhere. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newrelease.substack.com

New Release presents Episode #1 of our first annual KILLER CHRISTMAS miniseries … all month long we’re wrecking your halls with HOWWLS and OWWWies. This week, naughty little helpers Ashley, Derrick, and Drew go abroad to ring in Christmas in Paris. Joyeux Noël, witches. A year before the release of Home Alone —aka ‘Mommy I Missed the Plane’—something called Dial Code Santa Claus (among other names) premiered at the Laon Film Festival. Whether John Hughes was aware of this home invasion movie featuring a resourceful kid setting traps to defend his turf on Christmas Eve—or not—remains a mystery. What we do know is that the sense of threat and violence in the R-rated Deadly Games is for real compared to Home Alone’s family-friendly hijinks. If you like beaucoup peril with your holiday fare, this movie should get you in the Killer Christmas spirit. Remember, you can get on our good list by searching ‘New Release’ on Spotify or Apple to subscribe. Happy bloody holidays, and to all a RED night. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newrelease.substack.com

This week on New Release … trout sniffers Ashley, Derrick, and Drew galavant around NYC playing a deadly game of cat and mouse. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is exactly the same as Home Alone except the Wet Bandits be Sticky and that misunderstood Old Man is now a Pigeon Gal. New city, same old Kev. Armed with a Talkboy and wads of cash, it’s time for this plucky kid to kick ice cream and eat butt—WAIT—that’s backwards. Anyway, if you’ve been dying to see what a G-rated Saw movie would be like, this is your ticket. Besides, it’s not Christmas until you learn the true meaning of family from a kid’s movie. Join us for one wet and wild sleigh ride by searching ‘New Release’ on Spotify or Apple to subscribe. Ho-ho-Home Alone! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newrelease.substack.com

This week on New Release … count Derrick and coo-coo Drew explore the tragic origins of an OG vampire. Bram Stoker’s Dracula, directed by The Godfather himself, is a gothic romance spanning oceans of time. Costumes, hair, blood, boobs … Coppola dials everything up to the absolute max in this beautiful movie—except for maybe Keanu’s energy. Dude is chill AF considering the circumstances. Regardless, every frame is a visual feast and Gary Oldman never met line of dialogue he wouldn’t make sweet love to. Listen as we do our best to navigate this unwieldy beast of orgiastic cinema. When the seas are choppy, we push harder. When the dirt is evil, we desecrate it. You too can join Van Helsing and his band of merry horses by searching ‘New Release’ on Spotify or Apple. That’s where you subscribe. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newrelease.substack.com

This week on New Release … Disney babies Ashley, Drew, and special call-in guest Jamie discuss an animated film for the first time ever on the podcast. What? How is that possible? Right from the jump, Aladdin is magical musical adventure ride we wouldn’t dare get off. Robin Williams slays as Genie. The vibrant desert setting is intoxicating. The romance is borderline PG-steamy. And Jafar can suck sand. If you grew up anywhere near the 90s, you’ll have a blast reliving the childhood wonder of this Disney classic. About time we revisit one of the movies we actually watched a million times as kids. What other movie podcast can hop from Reservoir Dogs to Aladdin in a two-week span? None! Search ‘New Release’ on Spotify or Apple to subscribe. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newrelease.substack.com

This week on New Release … scumbags Ashley and Drew finally get down on some classic Tarantino pulpy-puppy goodness. Reservoir Dogs is a heist movie minus the heist that focuses more on colorful characters and whiz-bang smack talk than action. The story unfolds through flashbacks intercut with the aftermath of a robbery gone south. The music, the pop culture speeches, the buckets of blood … all of Tarantino’s signature moves are on display here despite the smaller scale. Where does RD rank in an epic 9-film career that has spanned most of our lives as budding film lovers? Tune in to see which Tt we BOTH picked for #1 and even find out who won the 1992 Presidential Election! It’s a historic week on New Release and you can ride along by searching ‘New Release’ on Spotify or Apple to subscribe. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newrelease.substack.com

*Happy Halloween* This week on New Release … three podcasters, Ashley, Derrick, and Drew, disappear into the woods recording an overnight episode. This tape is all that remains. What you are about to hear is their farewell to The Blair Witch Project and all the wonderful times they had along the way. Why is Drew at wit’s end again with Derrick? Where did Ashley sneak off to? Whose tongue is that on the ground? Oh what a wicked journey this movie takes viewers on. Don’t be scared. Everything’s fine. We can take shelter in that abandoned house where the baby screams are coming out. Cool? If, perhaps, you ever want to see us again, you should search ‘New Release’ on Spotify or Apple and subscribe. Our lives depend on it! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newrelease.substack.com