Now Playing Presents: The Gremlins Retrospective Series Now Playing Podcast

Pixar films including Toy Story, Monsters Inc., and Finding Nemo, had been smash hits. But could this success that worked on toys, fish, bugs, and beasts, work for a movie starring a roster of human characters? That was the risk they took with The Incredibles -- Pixar's first superhero film. The gamble worked and Pixar had another hit, but how does this film hold up more than 10 years later? Join Stuart, Arnie, and Jakob to find out!

The Fast and Furious franchise started off as low budget racing films, but has risen to be one of Hollywood's most bankable action franchises. In anticipation of the upcoming Furious Seven, Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob are living their life one quarter mile at a time and reviewing each film in this series!

It may only take a drop of water to make a new gremlin, but it took six years and a slew of writers, directors, and concepts to make a new Gremlins film. Finally original director Joe Dante returned in 1990 to give us Gremlins 2: The New Batch. With a gang of genetically modified gremlins taking a bite out of the Big Apple this film opted for more comedy than horror. Did that work for our hosts? Listen to this final Now Playing of 2013 to find out!

In the mid 1980s there was no bigger name in film than Steven Spielberg. As a director he had a string of major hits, including E.T. which became the top grossing film of all time. Even films he didn't direct but only produced, such as Poltergeist and The Goonies, benefited from having his name high on the title. Also in this category was Gremlins, the 1984 film about a small town overrun by small, evil creatures. Directed by The Howling's Joe Dante, this film provided a combination of horror, comedy, and Christmas. Now join Stuart, Arnie, and Jakob as they review this film, from the cuddly Mogwai to the creepy Gremlins to that lingering smell that makes Kate hate Christmas.