We have a fun bonus for you this week! We're trying something new (borrowing from what other shows have done in the past) and making a contest out of 2026's Summer Movie season.

Gorey Gamer Matt Murray put together 15 films that are coming to theaters from May through August and Nathan and Reed have to predict what they'll make at the box office in their domestic opening weekend as well as what their Metacritic score will be. Consider this your Summer Movie Preview Guide with a fun, competitive twist.

Play along with us and we hope you enjoy!

2:36 - The Rules of the Game

5:35 - HOKUM

9:21 - MORTAL KOMBAT II

14:52 - OBSESSION

18:28 - PASSENGER

23:16 - STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU

30:53 - BACKROOMS

37:07 - SCARY MOVIE

41:45 - DISCLOSURE DAY

47:01 - Snack Break

51:27 - TOY STORY 5

56:44 - SUPERGIRL

1:01:15 - THE ODYSSEY

1:07:51 - EVIL DEAD BURN

1:12:12 - SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY

1:20:18 - ICE CREAM MAN

1:24:53 - INSIDIOUS - OUT OF THE FURTHER

1:29:54 - Wrap-Up

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This week in the FoG we revive a fan-favorite series that's been requested for years now. In 2019, largely in solidarity with our American immigrant neighbors, we covered a series of international language films we called Speaking in Tongues. The first two volumes came out in rather quick succession, but now -- seven years later -- we kick off volume three with the debut feature film from Academy Award winning director Guillermo del Toro. CRONOS tells the simple fable of Jesus Gris, a grandfather and antiques dealer who stumbles upon a strange device which clasps and cuts into his hand. Soon, Gris begins to change in ways he can't explain, setting him down a grotesque path of pain and gruesome transformation.

We're joined by friend of the show and fellow film critic Thomas Manning to unpack this tightly constructed gem, which showcases both the early filmmaking talents and thematic interests of the landmark director.

Also featuring a discussion with fellow podcast co-host (of the podcast 1ofmystories) Lindsey Dunn about the first episode of DARK, Season 3. We covered Dark Seasons 1 & 2 in our original Speaking in Tongues series. We're excited to be revisiting this series and we really hope you enjoy this kickoff episode!

Patron Only Segment: DARK, Season 3, Episode 1

7:55 - CRONOS

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We conclude our mini-series of adaptations from last year based upon the work of Stephen King with the film that many Constant Readers have been waiting to see for decades. THE LONG WALK was famously the first novel King ever wrote (although not the first he published) and fans have been curious about an adaptation for years. Francis Lawrence (of the Hunger Games films) stepped in to adapt this bleak and deeply humanistic examination of men putting themselves on the line for a grueling walk in which only one of them can emerge the winner.

Starring David Jonsson, Cooper Hoffman, and Mark Hamill as the villainous voice driving each of the participants towards inevitable doom with the promise of untold riches, The Long Walk is a blistering portrait of the ways in which we surrender ourselves to systems literally designed to destroy us. It's also an occasionally disarming picture of the way shared trauma can bond a community, and how friendships can be forged when we see those around us as more than merely a number.

We're joined by friends of the show Joe George and Kate Micham for a thoughtful and open dialogue about the limits of endurance and the stubborn persistence of hope and love. Also featuring a Patron-only WHATCHA segment, this is one we really hope you enjoy.

Patron Only Segment: Whatcha Watchin' / Readin' / Listenin' To

8:37 - THE LONG WALK

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We have a bonus interview episode for you this week that is a ton of fun. We last welcomed writer/director Pierre Tsigaridis to the show when we discussed his film Traumatika. We welcome him back now to discuss his upcoming film, FRANKIE, MANIAC WOMAN, which hits theaters on April 24th. Co-written with Dina Silva, who stars in the film, Frankie, Maniac Woman tells the blisteringly funny and gore-soaked tale of Francis Ramirez (you can call her Frankie) who has aspirations of being a singer-songwriter in LA. But when she is bombarded by childhood trauma, internalized misogyny, and industry body-shaming she reaches her ultra-violent breaking point.

The film is fearless, presenting a parade of violence with almost gleeful abandon. But amidst its jaw-dropping extremities is a remarkable undercurrent of hysterical comedy and a disarming thread of emotional depth as Frankie battles her conflicting impulses, hopes, and ambitions. Silva's performance is volcanic, creating a truly unique character that is simultaneously endearing and intimidating. And it's all anchored by the steady directorial hand (and supporting performance) from Tsigaridis.

Our conversation with them about this film is full of laughter, just like the film they've made, and with an equally surprising amount of vulnerable heart. It's a film that took us by surprise and we think will do the same for you. So, check your local listings for Frankie, Maniac Woman on April 24th and enjoy this chat we had with Pierre and Dina!

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Continuing our series on films from last year adapted from the work of Stephen King, we lace up our sneakers for Edgar Wright's THE RUNNING MAN. Originally brought to life in the 80s starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Edgar Wright's refreshed adaptation puts Glen Powell at the center of a nationwide game show manhunt. Wright's film is far more faithful narratively to King's novel, although the tone is far more energetic and lighter on its feet than King's bleak source material.

Reed is joined this week by Gorey Gamer Matt Murray and Maven of Discord Jocee Worley to unpack what works and doesn't about this latest adaptation, as well as exploring the eerie ways it predicted social and cultural trends that have become saturated in our current landscape.

Also featuring a Patron-only Whatcha Playin' segment, we hope you enjoy our jaunt through The Running Man!

Patron Only Segment: Whatcha Playin'

3:21 - THE RUNNING MAN

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It's a different kind of conversation this week and one we really think you're going to love. We're continuing our mini-series looking at four films from last year which were all adapted from the work of Stephen King. If we told you that THE LIFE OF CHUCK was adapted by Mike Flanagan from a novella by Stephen King, you'd probably imagine a drastically different movie than what it is.

The Life of Chuck is unconventional both narratively and structurally. It's a story told in reverse, focusing on both the individual (Chuck, played by Tom Hiddleston) and the communal. It explores the wondrous mystery and stark fragility of life, including the ways we all influence each other and overlap our little private universes with one another. It's deeply emotional, aggressively non-cynical, and brimming with existential hope. We invite friends of the show Sarah Welch-Larson and Abby Olcese into a very open-hearted and frequently vulnerable conversation about spiritual, emotional, physical, and communal realities that we all encounter, and which often drive us through profound loneliness and into unimaginable hope. We found the discussion to be both challenging and ministering.

We hope you'll find the same, and we hope you'll enjoy it.

3:28 - Becoming Alien by Sarah Welch-Larson, Second Edition!

Patron Only Segment: Whatcha Watchin' / Readin' / Listenin' To?

15:37 - THE LIFE OF CHUCK

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We have a unique and special interview for you this week. Starting this month, Charlotte's Independent Picture House features a monthly series highlighting the essential films of legendary director Alfred Hitchcock. The series was co-curated by Sam Shapiro, whose career as an educator and film archivist for the Charlotte Mecklenberg public library permitted him countless opportunities to study and educate about the work of the legendary Master of Suspense.

Reed sits down with Sam to survey the cinema master's work, from his early silent films to his iconic masterpieces. It's a vibrant and surprisingly thorough conversation, touching on many of the Hitchcock's best and most interesting films. It not only serves as a promotion for IPH's upcoming series on Hitchcock's films, but also as an introduction to what keeps Hitchcock at the top of lists of cinema's most important and influential filmmakers.

If you're a fan of Hitchcock's work, we think you'll love this conversation. If you're only familiar with a couple of his major films, we think you'll be fascinated by the places you might venture next. And if you're in the Charlotte area this year, be sure to check out the films in the series THE ANTICIPATION OF FEAR: HITCHCOCK'S ESSENTIAL FILMS at the Independent Picture House.

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We start a brand new mini-series this week examining a handful of Stephen King adaptations which were all released last year. The first of these is also one of the most unconventional. Directed by Osgood Perkins, THE MONKEY takes a King short story about fate and recurring trauma and turns it into an absurdist dark comedy about death. Impressively well-made and often disarmingly humorous, The Monkey deftly executes outlandish destruction but struggles to balance the tone of its looney toons death sequences with its occasional stabs at earnestness. But in the end, like life, it seems to be admitting that fate not only sits beyond our control, but perhaps also beyond our conception of control.

We're joined by bestselling author and friend of the show Matt Ruff to unpack all of our thoughts on Osgood Perkins' The Monkey in this brisk and fun episode that we really hope you enjoy.

5:34 - Catching up with Matt Ruff

18:27 - THE MONKEY

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