Episode 313: 'Bloat' (2025)/ 'The Rule of Jenny Pen' (2025)

·59 min·5 clips

Blake and Nathaniel tear apart 'Bloat' for its horrible female portrayal, weird pacing, and an ending that made them laugh.

The episode opens with hosts Nathaniel Muir and Blake Heath joking about their dusty city and making Dune references. They transition into discussing the Oscars, expressing shock over Demi Moore's loss to Mickey Anderson and debating ageism in awards. The conversation shifts to Quentin Tarantino's casting prowess, noting how he revived careers like John Travolta's and spotlighted Samuel L. Jackson. They briefly mention upcoming movies like 'Ready or Not' and 'The Last of Us' series. The main focus is reviewing two 2025 horror films. First, they critique 'Bloat,' a screen-life movie about a boy possessed after a drowning accident. They highlight its inaccurate synopsis, poor character development, especially of the wife, bizarre pacing, and confusing ending involving drone strikes and a court-martial. They compare it unfavorably to found footage films and question the screen-life format's effectiveness for horror. Second, they review 'The Rule of Jenny Pen,' starring John Lithgow and Jeffery Rush in a retirement home setting. They praise the acting, with Lithgow playing a menacing resident and Rush portraying a stroke victim realistically. They note the film's slow, methodical pacing that builds tension, dark humor, and impactful payoff, calling it a difficult but rewarding watch. The episode concludes with recommendations and upcoming movie previews.

As heard by us

A lively Bloat review turns messy screens, dust jokes, and multitasking anxiety into a sharp genre debate.

Adventures in Movies makes Bloat feel like a lively argument about what a movie should give away before it begins. The episode tracks reactions to a mother and two sons vacationing in Japan, the younger son's near-drowning in a lake, and the strange behavior that follows, then…

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Why you'd press play

Press play for a horror chat where Bloat's screen-life setup meets a frank found-footage argument.

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