Part 1 Movies: What's Actually Worth Theater Money

Weekend movie releases force a choice: theaters or streaming. You've got three new options hitting screens, each pulling different directions. A zombie sequel that "shifted into an all new gear." A hostage thriller from the Good Will Hunting director that "never really gets to that kind of attention level." A vampire cop movie with CM Punk. Your wallet picks one.

Stebbing calls 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple the standout, claiming it exceeded expectations and positions the series as "the best modern trilogy going right now." Director Nia DaCosta took over from Danny Boyle. Jack O'Connell plays villain Sir Jimmy Crystal, "fashioned after Jimmy Saville" the disgraced British icon. The gore is disturbing, jumpscares minimal. Dead Man's Wire stars Bill Skarsgard in a 1977 hostage standoff directed by Gus Van Sant, but Stebbing wanted "dog day afternoon" tension and "it just never really gets to that kind of attention level." Al Pacino "phones it in."

Learn why Jack O'Connell might be "the greatest villain actor" of recent years. Discover which Justin Long horror rule actually works. Understand why one sequel exceeded the original while a Van Sant thriller disappointed.

Part 2 Streaming: The Series Nobody's Watching But Should

Streaming recommendations flood your queue weekly. You scroll past countless options. The critic points to "the best series that nobody's watching right now" on HBO while Netflix drops a Ben Affleck and Matt Damon cop thriller. Meanwhile, a 50 Cent produced series spanning four different shows with multiple seasons each waits for anyone willing to commit to the long haul.

Industry Season 4 gets called "the best series that nobody's watching" by Stebbing, who questions why HBO keeps renewing it if viewership is low. The show follows "young Brett bankers and stock traders in the UK after the 2008 collapse" and fits "fans of succession" with its ruthlessness. The Rip stars Affleck and Damon as Miami task force members in a "fast paced" thriller with "ambiguous" character work. The real story: their company Artist Equity used backend Netflix money to "give pay bumps to all of the crew members" including grips and electricians.

Discover why Power Book requires commitment to four series but delivers authenticity. Learn which show rivals Succession in ruthlessness but flies under the radar. Understand how Artist Equity changed crew compensation with backend deals.

GUEST: Steve Stebbing | stevestebbing.ca

Originally aired on 2026-01-16