Pete and Trevor grow some dreads, strap on oxygen masks, and hop on our Ikrans to see Avatar: Fire and Ash. We watched this in IMAX 3D as it was meant to be seen. Listen for our immediate reactions following the movie, before giving lots of warning before heading into spoilers.
About the movie: James Cameron’s third Avatar movie finds Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) pulled into a brutal new chapter of survival that tests their family. Also starring Sigourney Weaver, Britain Dalton, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Jack Champion, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Bailey Bass, Filip Geljo.
As a conclusion to our Project Weird Christmas, we also talk about Santa Claus: The Movie, starring David Huddleston, Dudley Moore, John Lithgow. All of this and more are available to listen to FOR FREE?!!!? wherever you listen to podcasts.
Santa Claus: The Movie (21:25)
Avatar: Fire and Ash Review (33:47)
The Odyssey Trailer Discussion (55:23)
Avengers Teaser Discussion (58:50)
Avatar Spoilers (1:00:35)
Pete and Trevor embark on a trip to see 2025’s Silent Night, Deadly Night, a remake of the cult horror classic from 1984.
On the way, we continue our Project Weird Christmas, with a deeper foray into Christmas horror movies. We look at the Charles Edward Sellier Jr. directed original Silent Night, Deadly Night, as well as Bob Clark’s 1974 classic Black Christmas (spoiler one of us thinks this is a masterpiece and the other doesn’t even like it). We close out the project next week with Santa Claus: The Motion Picture.
Make sure to subscribe to the podcast. You can find us on:
-Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/first-look-final-word/id1715359364
-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5z1YMFhAAeUlkb62ZWDV0a?si=5rAZ5-UNQIS5BcdecHEhcg
-YouTube: https://youtube.com/@firstlookfinalword?si=gBwnodswkyiKPGkv
Review of Black Christmas (22:48)
Review of Silent Night, Deadly Night (44:14)
Spoilers (56:20)
Pete and Trevor were both murdered in the car on the drive to see Wake Up Dead Man. It was the perfect crime and there are no suspects.
Anyways, Rian Johnson’s third entry in the Knives Out mystery franchise finds Daniel Craig return as Benoit Blanc who is tasked with solving a locked room mystery. As always, Johnson brings an all-star cast with Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, and Thomas Haden Church.
This week also marks the beginning of our light and breezy Project Weird Christmas. First up is Lethal Weapon, staring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. Next week we will be covering Black Christmas along with the rename of Silent Night, Deadly Night.
Lethal Weapon (14:00)
Wake up Dead Man (41:00)
Netflix is ruining my life (55:00)
Spoilers (1:06:38)
Spoilers for The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1:08:00)
Pete and Trevor brave the rough weather to finally, finally see The Running Run. Edgar Wright’s remake of the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger cult favourite (or more accurately described as a more faithful adaptation of the King novel) stars Glen Powell as Ben Richards, with an all-star supporting cast including William H. Macy, Lee Pace, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones, Daniel Ezra, Jayme Lawson, Sean Hayes, Colman Domingo, and Josh Brolin.
This episode also wraps up our Project Last Action Heroes with a double billing. First up is Supercop (Police Story 3) with Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh, followed by Passenger 57, with Wesley Snipes. Tune in next week for the start of our series on Weird Christmas movies.
Supercop (14:40)
Passenger 57 (22:35)
The Running Man Review (44:35)
Spoilers (01:03:00)
Pete straps an excited Trevor to his back as they set off on their journey to see Predator: Badlands. Starring Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, the movie follows a young “Yautja” navigating through a hostile planet with the help of a dismembered android. On the way to the theatre, we discuss our history with Predator and Dan Trachtenberg’s role in reviving the franchise through Prey and Killer of Killers.
We also enter week 8 of our ongoing Project Last Action Heroes. This week we discuss Steven Seagal through the lens of 1992’s Under Siege (Tommy Lee Jones, Gary Busey, Erika Eleniak, and Colm Meaney).
Don’t forget to enter our ongoing contest to win a subscription to Letterboxd Patron:
https://boxd.it/OT9rw
Under Siege (17:28)
Predator Review (40:31)
Spoilers (1:06:27)
Pete and Trevor shaved their heads, lathered themselves up in antihistamine, and hit the road to see Bugonia. The film stars Emma Stone (in her fourth collaboration with Yorgos Lanthimos), Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, and Alicia Silverstone. Listen to hear our immediate reaction after leaving the theatre.
We also returned to our ongoing Project Last Action Heroes. This week we examine the career of Chuck Norris through his breakout Lone Wolf McQuade.
Don’t forget to enter our ongoing contest to win a subscription to Letterboxd Patron:
https://boxd.it/OT9rw
Intro and our history with Yorgos (0:00)
Lone Wolf McQuade (16:05)
Bugonia spoiler-free review (35:14)
Spoilers (50:38)
Pete and Trevor did not record their episode on House of Dynamite from a bunker built to withstand a nuclear holocaust. There is no need to worry. House of Dynamite, featuring an ensemble casts including Rebecca Ferguson, Idris Elba, Jared Harris, Tracy Letts, Greta Lee, and Anthony Ramos, is director Kathryn Bigelow’s first feature film in 8 years. These people are also not in a bunker, again, everything is fine.
We return to our ongoing project Last Action Heroes with a focus on Sigourney Weaver (Alien, Ghostbusters, Starship Troopers), specifically her role in James Cameron’s Aliens. Next week we will be covering Steven Segal, please comment below or email us at firstlookfinalwordpod@gmail.com with your suggestions on what movie to cover.
Don’t forget to enter our ongoing contest to win a subscription to Letterboxd Patron: https://boxd.it/OT9rw
Introduction - 0:00
Aliens Chat - 11:10
House of Dynamite review - 41:00
Spoilers - 59:50
Pete and Trevor step into the octagon, well mostly a boxing ring, to see Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine, starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt. The A24 produced movie focuses on the life Mark Kerr, an early MMA and UFC fighter, and marks a clear transition in Johnson’s career to more serious roles. Does the gambit pay off?
Continuing our Project Last Action Heroes, we discuss the career of Bruce Willis through the lens of Tony Scott’s The Last Boyscout.
Don’t forget to enter our ongoing contest to win a subscription to Letterboxd Patron:
https://boxd.it/OT9rw
Intro: 0:00
Last Boy Scout: 15:54
Smashing Machine Review: 40:13
Spoilers: 1:00:57
Pete and Trevor, and special stowaway Justin, set off to catch One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson’s modern thriller/drama/satire starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, and Chase Infiniti. We also met our friend Anthony at the theatre who was able to join us for a quick recap. Like good cinephiles, we saw this in 70mm IMAX. Did this movie live up to the hype? Spoiler: yes, it’s very excellent.
Listen to our immediate spoiler-free reactions after leaving the theatre, before we give plenty of warning when heading into spoiler-talk.
This was week three of our ongoing project ‘Last Action Heroes’. We talk about the careers of Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren via Roland Emmerich’s Universal Soldier. Tune in next week for our discussion of a Bruce Willis movie, comment below or email firstlookfinalwordpod@gmail.com to weigh in on what movie we should cover.
Don’t forget to enter our ongoing contest to win a subscription to Letterboxd Patron:
https://boxd.it/OT9rw
Intro and our history with PTA (0:00)
Review of Universal Soldier (16:35)
Review of One Battle After Another (45:29)
Anthony jumps out of the car (56:37)
Spoilers (1:11:00)
Pete and Trevor watched Spike Lee’s new movie Highest 2 Lowest, a bold reimagining of Kurosawa’s classic High and Low. Starring Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright, and A$AP Rocky, we’re asking the question: will this remake be worth it?
We’re also continuing our ongoing project Last Action Heroes, where we track the big guns of action cinema one film at a time. This week we’re riding shotgun with Sly Stallone, diving into the neon-soaked, leather-jacketed, pizza scissor cutting chaos of Cobra.
Don’t forget to enter our ongoing contest to win a subscription to Letterboxd Patron:
https://boxd.it/OT9rw
Intro (00:00)
Cobra Review (16:17)
Spoiler-free review of Highest 2 Lowest (46:27)
Spoiler-talk (59:00)
Pete and Trevor lace up their shoes and step onto the endless road for this week’s feature: The Long Walk. Adapted from one of Stephen King’s earliest and most enduring stories, the film stars Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Tut Nyuot, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Roman Griffin Davis, Judy Greer, and Mark Hamill.
As a coincidence, we’re also kicking off our new series, Project: The Last Action Heroes, beginning with Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Running Man—another King tale adapted for the big screen, though with a very different kind of energy.
Next week we will be talking Sylvester Stallone. Comment below or write to firstlookfinalwordpod@gmail.com to suggest what movie best sums up Sly’s action career.
Intro (00:00)
The Running Man (04:40)
Spoiler-free review of The Long Walk (43:40)
Spoiler-talk (01:04:54)
Pete and Trevor step through the looking glass and into the shadows of the Conjuring Universe for the grand finale: The Conjuring: Last Rites. With Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga returning as the Warrens, does this send-off stick the landing for one of horror’s biggest franchises, or does it creak under the weight of its own lore?
As prep for the finale, we are bringing Project Conjuring to a close. We watched The Nun II and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It to get the full picture before diving into Last Rites.
Intro (0:00)
Review of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (3:10)
Review of The Nun II (22:34)
Spoiler-free review of Last Rites (39:17)
Spoiler talk (56:45)
Next project (1:17:05)
Pete and Trevor are back from their career ending injuries to see Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing, his pivot into comedy-crime-thriller territory starring Austin Butler, Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio (and Bad Bunny apparently?). How does this film fits into Aronofsky’s unpredictable career? Is it a calculated retreat, or is he just cutting loose with something pulpy and violent?
Meanwhile, Project Conjuring continues. This week we discuss The Curse of La Llorona and Annabelle Comes Home, and next week we’ll close things out with The Nun II and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, all leading up to the feature of the series, The Conjuring: Last Rites.
Intro and history with Aronofsky (0:00)
Review of The Curse of La Llorona (15:13)
Review of Annabelle Comes Home (26:40)
Spoiler free review of Caught Stealing (39:38)
Spoiler-talk (55:00)
Pete and Trevor dive into one of the buzziest films of 2025: Relay, the stylish new crime thriller from David Mackenzie (Hell or High Water), starring Riz Ahmed, Lily James, Sam Worthington, and Ariyon Bakare.
We’re also pushing forward with Project Conjuring, our deep dive through every film in the Conjuring universe. This week we’re covering The Nun (2018), Corin Hardy’s gothic horror that expands the mythology of Valak. Next week, we’ll be tackling The Curse of La Llorona (2019) and Annabelle Comes Home (2019).
Intro (0:00)
Review of The Nun (2018) (9:20)
Spoiler-free review of Relay (34:27)
Spoiler talk (49:21)
Pete and Trevor get swept up in one of the most talked-about films of the year: Weapons, the new ensemble horror-drama from Zach Cregger (Barbarian), starring Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, and Benedict Wong.
We’re also continuing Project Conjuring, our journey through every film in the Conjuring universe. This week we tackle The Conjuring 2 (2016), with James Wan reuniting Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as the Warrens in one of the franchise’s most chilling cases, and Annabelle: Creation (2017), David F. Sandberg’s prequel that gives the infamous doll her dark origin story.
Intro and our history with Zach Cregger (0:00)
Review of The Conjuring 2 (2016) (12:15)
Review of Annabelle: Creation (2017) (25:45)
Spoiler-free review of Weapons (40:18)
Spoiler talk (58:05)
Pete and Trevor fire up the ol’ Fantasticar and blast off to see The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Will this one launch Phase 6 into greatness—or should it have stayed in the Negative Zone? Unfortunately, a dose of cosmic rays knocked Trevor out of commission, so Pete is joined by a surprise guest for the review section instead.
Meanwhile, the Conjuring project lurches forward with Annabelle. Did Pete make it through the spooky doll chaos, or did he nope out before the third jump scare?
Intro and our history with The Fantastic Four (0:00)
Review of Annabelle (2014) (26:00)
Spoiler-free review of The Fantastic Four: First Steps (52:34)
Spoiler talk (1:03:00)
Pete and Trevor drove straight into some political controversy with Ari Aster’s new Covid-era black comedy western Eddington, starring Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal and Emma Stone. Note: one of us did not like this at all and another one loved it.
This episode also marks the start of Project Conjuring, where we review every movie in the expanded conjuring universe. This week we talk James Wan’s megahit The Conjuring, starring Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ron Livingston, Lili Taylor, and that loveable scamp Annabelle.
Intro and our history with Ari Aster (0:00)
Review of The Conjuring (2013) (8:45)
Spoiler-free review of Eddington (35:14)
Spoiler talk (53:50)
Superman is here. And we’re not going to be coy, WE LOVED THIS MOVIE. As the conclusion of our project to watch every live action Superman film, we were given the movie we have been waiting for.
Listen for our immediate spoiler-free reactions after leaving the theatre, before giving lots of warning before heading into spoiler-talk.
This episode we welcome Wil and Katelyn from the Marvelous Marathon podcast. Check out their episode on Superman (2025): https://open.spotify.com/episode/2wIuvNp4ASvSmAtdkBuviF?si=DeAufa5qRTmolyGOMYCIRg
JULY 14 IS THE FINAL DAY OF OUR LETTERBOXD PATRON GIVEAWAY. CLICK HERE TO LEVEL UP TO PATRON: https://boxd.it/Gbt3O
Intro, summary of Project Superman, All-Star Superman and some of our favourite comics, James Gunn’s vision for DCU (0:00)
Spoiler-free reactions to Superman (2025) (43:00)
Spoiler-talk (1:05:10)
Segment with guests Wil and Katelyn (1:27:35)
Goodbye, Superman (2:05:27)
About Superman (2025):
The man known as Clark Kent, Superman, and Kal-El grapples with who he is.
Clark Kent / Superman / Karl-El: David Corenswet
Lois Lane: Rachel Brosnahan
Lex Luthor: Nicholas Hoult
Jimmy Olsen: Skyler Gisondo
Perry White: Wendell Pierce
The Engineer: María Gabriela de Faría
Guy Gardner / Green Lantern: Nathan Fillion
Metamorpho: Anthony Carrigan
Hawkgirl: Isabela Merced
Mister Terrific: Edi Gathegi
Director: James Gunn
Writer: James Gunn
Executive Producer: Peter Safran
Cinematographer: Henry Braham
Composer: John Murphy and David Fleming
Editor: Craig Alpert and William Hoy
Hold onto your butts, Pete and Trevor spared no expense in seeing Jurassic World Rebirth. Can this ScarJo vehicle fill in the holes to complete the code and reboot this long-in-the-tooth franchise? Listen to our immediate reactions after leaving the theatre to find out.
This also makes the 10th (10th!) episode of Project Superman, wherein we review every single live action Superman film. This week we talk Justice League, primarily the Zack Synder version, with Pete pointing out the prime differences between the cuts. Next week is the conclusion of the project, with James Gunn’s Superman, and the official reset of the DC universe.
Don’t forget to enter our ongoing contest to win a subscription to Letterboxd Patron: https://boxd.it/Gbt3O
Intro and our history with Jurassic Park (0:00)
Review of Zack Synder’s Justice League (13:18)
Spoiler-free review of Jurassic World (40:50)
Spoiler-talk (1:02:05)
About Jurassic World Rebirth:
Scarlett Johansson stars as Zora Bennett, a covert-ops expert sent to retrieve rare dinosaur DNA from a remote island. When her mission collides with a shipwrecked family and a dangerous hidden agenda, survival becomes more than just escaping the island.
Scarlett Johansson as Zora Bennett
Jonathan Bailey as Dr. Levi Calder
Mahershala Ali as Commander Rourke
Luna Blaise as Camila Reyes
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Diego Navarro
Rupert Friend as Felix Maddox
David Iacono as Eric Voss
Directed by Gareth Edwards
Written by David Koepp
Produced by Frank Marshall, Patrick Crowley
Executive Producers Steven Spielberg, Alexandra Derbyshire
Music by Alexandre Desplat
Cinematography by John Mathieson
About Justice League:
Batman and Wonder Woman assemble a team of metahumans—Aquaman, Cyborg, and The Flash—to face a looming threat following Superman’s death. As an ancient force seeks to plunge the world into darkness, the newly formed Justice League must overcome their differences to stand as Earth’s last line of defense.
Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne / Batman
Gal Gadot as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman
Henry Cavill as Clark Kent / Superman
Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry / Aquaman
Ezra Miller as Barry Allen / The Flash
Ray Fisher as Victor Stone / Cyborg
Amy Adams as Lois Lane
Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth
Ciarán Hinds as Steppenwolf
Directed by Zack Snyder (original vision and Synder Cut), Joss Whedon (2017 theatrical reshoots and completion)
Written by Chris Terrio and Joss Whedon (theatrical), Chris Terrio (Snyder Cut)
Story by Zack Snyder and Chris Terrio
Produced by Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder
Music by Danny Elfman (2017), Tom Holkenborg aka Junkie XL (Snyder Cut)
Cinematography by Fabian Wagner
Edited by David Brenner, Richard Pearson, and Martin Walsh (2017); David Brenner (Snyder Cut)
Pete and Trevor opted for an overcut strategy to take an early pole position in their trip to see F1. Will Joseph Kosinski strike gold again and give us another Top Gun: Maverick? Not quite, but it was pretty close! Listen to our immediate reactions to F1 after leaving the theatre.
This is also the ninth week for our ongoing Project Superman, wherein we watch every single live-action theatrical Superman movie. Today we are discussing Batman v Superman: The Dawn of Justice. Tune in next week for Zack Synder’s Justice League.
Don’t forget to enter our ongoing contest to win a subscription to Letterboxd Patron: https://boxd.it/Gbt3O
Intro, expectations for F1 in 4DX (0:00)
Review of Batman v Superman (15:53)
Spoiler free review of F1 (43:00)
Spoiler-talk (56:31)
Anthony’s corner (1:16:06)
About FI:
A former Formula 1 driver is pulled out of retirement to help a struggling team make a comeback on the world stage. As he mentors a rising rookie and faces unfinished business from his past, the race becomes more than just about speed—it’s a shot at redemption.
Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes
Damson Idris as Joshua Pearce
Javier Bardem as Ricky Carrera
Kerry Condon as Ruth
Tobias Menzies as Garland
Directed by Joseph Kosinski
Written by Ehren Kruger
Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, and Lewis Hamilton
Cinematography by Claudio Miranda
Music by Lorne Balfe
Edited by Eddie Hamilton
Production companies include Apple Studios, Plan B Entertainment, Jerry Bruckheimer Films, with Warner Bros. Pictures handling distribution
About Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice:
Haunted by the destruction of Metropolis during Superman’s battle with Zod, Bruce Wayne sees the Kryptonian as a dangerous god and prepares to take him down. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor manipulates both heroes into conflict while unleashing a monstrous force that threatens to destroy them both.
Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne / Batman
Henry Cavill as Clark Kent / Superman
Gal Gadot as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman
Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor
Amy Adams as Lois Lane
Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth
Diane Lane as Martha Kent
Laurence Fishburne as Perry White
Holly Hunter as Senator Finch
Scoot McNairy as Wallace Keefe
Callan Mulvey as Anatoli Knyazev
Tao Okamoto as Mercy Graves
Directed by Zack Snyder
Written by Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer
Produced by Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder
Cinematography by Larry Fong
Music by Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL
Edited by David Brenner
Production companies: Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Entertainment, Atlas Entertainment, Cruel and Unusual Films