River Cities Reader Podcast

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Oct 2026

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About the show

Live to tape interviews with Reader team members as guests on other broadcast, radio and podcast shows. Alive & Free Since 1993. The Quad Cities’ Independent Newspaper. Know More. Do More.

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10 recent

October 29, 202616 min

October 29, 2026, with Dave and Darren — “Clayface,” “Wildwood,” “Wicker,” and “A Talent for Murder”

Dave Levora, Darren Pitra, and Mike Schulz talk film and consider all the fun things one can do with clay. Under scrutiny: Clayface (dir James Watkins, starr Tom Rhys Harries, Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella, and Eddie Marsan). Wildwood (dir Travis Knight, starr Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Awkwafina, Angela Bassett, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, Jemaine Clement, Len Cariou, Maya Erskine, Tantoo Cardinal, Tom Waits, and Richard E Grant). Wicker (dirs Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson, starr Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård, Elizabeth Debicki, Marli Siu, Nabhaan Rizwan, Richard E Grant, and Peter Dinklage). A Talent for Murder (dir Anton Corbijn, starr Helen Mirren, Alden Ehrenreich, Olivia Cooke, and Juliet Stevenson). Under future scrutiny: The documentary Everest: The Other Side (dirs Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, starr Jim Morrison and Hilaree Nelson). The Only Living Pickpocket in New York (dir Noah Segan, starr John Turturro, Giancarlo Esposito, Will Price, Tatiana Maslany, and Steve Buscemi). Fjord (dir Cristian Mungiu, starr Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve). Christmas at the Kringles (dir Kevin Lewis, starr Ron Livingston, Rachel Bilson, Rob Riggle, Thomas Lennon, Arden Myrin, Donald Faison, Beverly D’Angelo, and David Wain). Godzilla Minus Zero (dir Takashi Yamazaki, starr Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Yuki Yamada, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Sakura Ando, Miou Tanaka, Min Tanaka, Masami Nagasawa, and Jun Kunimura). “Clayface,” “Wildwood,” “Wicker,” and “A Talent for Murder”

October 24, 2026

Jeff Tweedy On Allowing Yourself To Fail

WILCO’s Jeff Tweedy discusses his latest sonic landscape “Twilight Override”, completing the circuit for listeners and more with KFMH’s Bill Klutho on October 14, 2026 in advance of his performance scheduled at Capitol Theatre in downtown Davenport, Iowa on November 7 th Full transcript of the interview is at https://www.rcreader.com/jeff-tweedy-allowing-yourself-to-fail-twilight-override-interview Learn more at https://jefftweedy.com and https://www.firstfleetconcerts.com/events/detail/jeff-tweedy-solo-1480580 Listen to Bill Klutho on www.99pluskfmh.com Monday through Friday from 9am to 1pm as he curates blues, rock, jazz and reggae classics and new music alike. From the archives comes Reader publisher Todd McGreevy’s concert review of WILCO’s November 2002 live show at the Iowa Memorial Union in Iowa City, Iowa: https://www.rcreader.com/music/more-alt-country Excerpt: “Not having cultivated an appetite yet for Wilco’s sound, which has been rightfully called a new American aesthetic, I found myself wincing at moments of formulaic pop and nearly trite country-fication. But with each song, Wilco turned those clichés on their ears and surprised me with complex rhythm and lead-guitar arrangements, fierce soloing by Tweedy, wistful and haunting keyboards, and consistently inventive drumming.”

October 22, 202624 min

October 22, 2026, with Dave and Darren — “Street Fighter,” “Sense and Sensibility,” “Whalefall,” “You Can See Everything,” and “Musk”

Dave Levora, Darren Pitra, and Mike Schulz talk film and wonder how long it will take before it’s acceptable to give away spoilers to You Can See Everything . Scrutinized: Street Fighter (dir Kitao Sakurai, starr Noah Centineo, Andrew Koji, Callina Liang, Joe “Roman Reigns” Anoa’i, David Dastmalchian, Cody Rhodes, Eric André, Andrew Schulz, Vidyut Jammwal, Orville Peck, Don Lee, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, and Jason Momoa). Sense and Sensibility (dir Georgia Oakley, starr Daisy Edgar-Jones, Esmé Creed-Miles, Caitríona Balfe, Frank Dillane, Herbert Nordrum, George MacKay, and Fiona Shaw). Whalefall (dir Brian Duffield, starr Austin Abrams, Josh Brolin, Elisabeth Shue, John Ortiz, Jane Levy, and Emily Rudd). The Elon Musk documentary Musk (dir Alex Gibney). Nathan Fielder’s documentary about Elizabeth Holmes, You Can See Everything . Future scrutiny candidates: Clayface (dir James Watkins, starr Tom Rhys Harries, Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella, and Eddie Marsan). Wildwood (dir Travis Knight, starr Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Awkwafina, Angela Bassett, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, Jemaine Clement, Len Cariou, Maya Erskine, Tantoo Cardinal, Tom Waits, and Richard E Grant). Wicker (dirs Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson, starr Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård, Elizabeth Debicki, Marli Siu, Nabhaan Rizwan, Richard E Grant, and Peter Dinklage). A Talent for Murder (dir Anton Corbijn, starr Helen Mirren, Alden Ehrenreich, Olivia Cooke, and Juliet Stevenson). Klara and The Sun (dir Taika Waititi, starr Jenna Ortega, Amy Adams, Mia Tharia, Aran Murphy, Steve Buscemi, and Natasha Lyonne). “Street Fighter,” “Sense and Sensibility,” and “Whalefall” “You Can See Everything” and “Musk”

October 16, 202620 min

October 16, 2026, with Dave and Darren — “Other Mommy,” “The Social Reckoning,” and “Angel and the Badman”

Dave Levora, Darren Pitra, and Mike Schulz discuss film and what it will take to remove Aaron Sorkin from the film world. Which may involve removing him from the world entirely. Discussed: Other Mommy (dir Rob Savage, starr Jessica Chastain, Jay Duplass, Arabella Olivia Clark, Dichen Lachman, Arian Moayed, and Karen Allen). The Social Reckoning (dir Aaron Sorkin, starr Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White, Jeremy Strong, Bill Burr, Betty Gilpin, and Billy Magnussen). Angel and the Badman (dir Julio Quintana, starr Zachary Levi, Neal McDonough, and Tommy Lee Jones). To be discussed later: Street Fighter (dir Kitao Sakurai, starr Noah Centineo, Andrew Koji, Callina Liang, Joe “Roman Reigns” Anoa’i, David Dastmalchian, Cody Rhodes, Eric André, Andrew Schulz, Vidyut Jammwal, Orville Peck, Don Lee, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, and Jason Momoa). Whalefall (dir Brian Duffield, starr Austin Abrams, Josh Brolin, Elisabeth Shue, John Ortiz, Jane Levy, and Emily Rudd). Sense and Sensibility (dir Georgia Oakley, starr Daisy Edgar-Jones, Esmé Creed-Miles, Caitríona Balfe, Frank Dillane, Herbert Nordrum, George MacKay, and Fiona Shaw). The Elon Musk documentary Musk (dir Alex Gibney). Nathan Fielder’s documentary about Elizabeth Holmes, You Can See Everything . Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother (dir Bassam Tariq, starr Mahershala Ali, John Cho, Giancarlo Esposito, Abubakr Ali, Tramell Tillman, Tiffany Boone, and Laith Nakli). You Can’t Leave (dir Scott Windhauser, starr Spencer Boldman, Paola Andino, Thomas Bauer, and Taylor Murphy). Crawlers (dir Angel Gómez Hernández, starr Matilda Lutz, Gregg Sulkin, William Miller, and Melina Matthews). Trust Me, I’m a Doctor (dir Thane Economou, starr Linda Hamilton, Abbie Cornish, Kal Penn, and Al Sapienza). “Other Mommy,” “The Social Reckoning,” and “Angel & the Badman”

October 9, 202616 min

October 8, 2026, with Dave and Darren — “Verity” and “Digger”

Dave Levora, Darren Pitra, and Mike Schulz discuss film and the unforeseen success of Coyote vs Acme , which is satisfying for reasons other than its quality (Warner Bros Disccovery wanted to shelve it and declare a tax write-off, given their own lack of faith in CvA ). Under scrutiny: Verity (dir Michael Showalter, starr Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, Josh Hartnett, Ismael Cruz Córdova, and Irina Dvorovenko). Digger (dir Alejandro G Iñárritu, starr Sabina Berman, Alexander Dinelaris Jr, and Nicolás Giacobone). Scrutiny tk: Angel and the Badman (dir Julio Quintana, starr Zachary Levi, Neal McDonough, and Tommy Lee Jones). The Social Reckoning (dir Aaron Sorkin, starr Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White, Jeremy Strong, Bill Burr, Betty Gilpin, and Billy Magnussen). Other Mommy (dir Rob Savage, starr Jessica Chastain, Jay Duplass, Arabella Olivia Clark, Dichen Lachman, Arian Moayed, and Karen Allen). April X (dir Michel K Parandi, starr Connor Storrie, Lilly Krug, Tudor Chirilă, Șerban Pavlu, and Tourialay Akbari). “Verity” and “Digger”

October 1, 202618 min

October 1, 2026, with Dave and Darren — “Primetime,” “Heart of the Beast,” and “Forgotten Island”

Dave Levora, Darren Pitra, and Mike Schulz discuss film and the limited number of ways one can pronounce “Anaconda.” Scrutinized: Primetime (dir Lance Oppenheim, starr Robert Pattinson, Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, and Phoebe Bridgers). Heart of the Beast (dir David Ayer, starr Brad Pitt, J K Simmons, Anna Lambe, and Uber). The Disney animated fantasy comedy Forgotten Island (irs. Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, voice H E R [aka Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson], Liza Soberano, Dave Franco, Jenny Slate, Manny Jacinto, Dolly de Leon, Jo Koy, Ronny Chieng, Kevin McCann, and Lea Salonga). To be scrutinized: Verity (dir Michael Showalter, starr Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, Josh Hartnett, Ismael Cruz Córdova, and Irina Dvorovenko). Digger (dir Alejandro G Iñárritu, starr Sabina Berman, Alexander Dinelaris Jr, and Nicolás Giacobone). Rolling Loud: The Movie (dir Jeremy Garelick, starr Owen Wilson, Matt Rife, Christine Ko, Christian Convery, Henry Winkler, Jolene Blalock, Sexyy Red, Ty Dolla Sign, Ski Mask the Slump God, and Travis Scott). “Primetime,” “Heart of the Beast,” and “Forgotten Island”

September 25, 202615 min

September 24, 2026, with Dave and Darren — “Resident Evil,” “The Weight,” and “Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom”

Dave Levora, Darren Pitra, and Mike Schulz talk film and wonder aloud what will happen when super-hero films become a ruinous investment for the movie studios. Under present scrutinization: The Resident Evil reboot (dir Zach Cregger, starr Austin Abrams, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, Johnno Wilson, and Paul Walter Hauser). The Weight (dir Padraic McKinley, starr Ethan Hawke, Russell Crowe, Julia Jones, Austin Amelio, Avi Nash, Lucas Lynggaad Tonnesen, George Burgess, Cameron Brady, Avy Berry, Alec Newman, and Sam Hazeldine). The stop-motion animated comedy horror Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom (dirs Steve Cox and Matthew Walker, voice Justin Fletcher, John Sparkes, Kate Harbour, Dani Dyer, Roman Kemp, Nina Sosanya, and Paul Whitehouse). Under future scrutinization: Heart of the Beast (dir David Ayer, starr Brad Pitt, J K Simmons, Anna Lambe, and Uber). Primetime (dir Lance Oppenheim, starr Robert Pattinson, Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, and Phoebe Bridgers). The Disney animated fantasy comedy Forgotten Island (dirs Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, voice H E R [aka Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson], Liza Soberano, Dave Franco, Jenny Slate, Manny Jacinto, Dolly de Leon, Jo Koy, Ronny Chieng, Kevin McCann, and Lea Salonga). An encore presentation of Avengers: Endgame with new footage, a custom introduction, and a new post-credits scene — a grand total of two additional minutes (dirs Anthony and Joe Russo, starr Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Benedict Wong, Jon Favreau, Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Josh Brolin). “Resident Evil,” “The Weight,” and “Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom”

September 17, 202616 min

September 17, 2026, with Dave and Darren — “Practical Magic 2,” “The Uprising,” “Runner,” and “Hope”

Dave Levora, Darren Pitra, and Mike Schulz talk film and the demerits (considerable) and merits (nugatory) of Oasis. Under present scrutinization: Practical Magic 2 (dir Susanne Bier, starr Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Dianne Wiest, Stockard Channing, Joey King, Lee Pace, Maisie Williams, and Xolo Maridueña). The Runner (dir Kevin Macdonald, starr Gal Gadot, Damian Lewis, and Alfred Enoch). The Uprising (dir Paul Greengrass, starr Andrew Garfield, Jamie Bell, Stephen Dillane, Tom Hollander, Cosmo Jarvis, Thomasin McKenzie, Jonny Lee Miller, Woody Norman, and Katherine Waterston). Hope (dir Na Hong-jin, starr Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Jung Ho-yeon, Taylor Russell, Cameron Britton, Alicia Vikander, and Michael Fassbender). The rock documentary Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger (dirs Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern, starr los hermanos Gallagher). Under future scrutinization: The Resident Evil reboot (dir Zach Cregger, starr Austin Abrams, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, Johnno Wilson, and Paul Walter Hauser). The stop-motion animated comedy horror Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom (dirs Steve Cox and Matthew Walker, voice Justin Fletcher, John Sparkes, Kate Harbour, Dani Dyer, Roman Kemp, Nina Sosanya, and Paul Whitehouse). The Weight (dir Padraic McKinley, starr Ethan Hawke, Russell Crowe, Julia Jones, Austin Amelio, Avi Nash, Lucas Lynggaad Tonnesen, George Burgess, Cameron Brady, Avy Berry, Alec Newman, and Sam Hazeldine). “Practical Magic 2,” “The Uprising,” “Runner,” and “Hope”

September 12, 202620 min

September 10, 2026, with Dave and Darren — “By Any Means,” “Onslaught,” “Fall 2: Deadpoint,” and “Mother Mary”

Dave Levora, Darren Pitra, and Mike Schulz talk film and the launch of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 reboot. Score! Under scrutiny: By Any Means (dir Elegance Bratton, starr Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Mark Wahlberg, Nicole Beharie, Josh Lucas, LisaGay Hamilton, LaChanze, Ethan Embry, David Strathairn, and Giancarlo Esposito). Onslaught (dir Adam Wingard, starr Adria Arjona, Dan Stevens, Eric Wareheim, Reginald VelJohnson, Michael Biehn, Alex Pereira, Drew Starkey, and Rebecca Hall). Fall 2: Deadpoint (dirs Peter and Michael Spierig, starr Harriet Slater, Arsema Thomas, Tom Brittney, and Grace Caroline Currey). Under future scrutiny: Practical Magic 2 (dir Susanne Bier, starr Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Dianne Wiest, Stockard Channing, Joey King, Lee Pace, Maisie Williams, and Xolo Maridueña). The Runner (dir Kevin Macdonald, starr Gal Gadot, Damian Lewis, and Alfred Enoch). The Uprising (dir Paul Greengrass, starr Andrew Garfield, Jamie Bell, Stephen Dillane, Tom Hollander, Cosmo Jarvis, Thomasin McKenzie, Jonny Lee Miller, Woody Norman, and Katherine Waterston). Hope (dir Na Hong-jin, starr Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Jung Ho-yeon, Taylor Russell, Cameron Britton, Alicia Vikander, and Michael Fassbender). The rock documentary Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger (dirs Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern, starr figure it out, alright?). “By Any Means,” “Onslaught,” “Fall 2: Deadpoint,” and “Mother Mary”

September 4, 202619 min

September 3, 2026, with Dave and Darren — “Coyote vs Acme,” “It Ends,” “Buddy,” “The Dog Stars,” and “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma”

Dave Levora, Darren Pitra, and Mike Schulz talk film and the latest of Mark Wahlberg’s crimes against humanity. Under review: Coyote vs Acme (dir Dave Green, starr Will Forte, Lana Condor, Tone Bell, Luis Guzmán, Martha Kelly, P J Byrne, Kenneth Choi, and John Cena; voice Eric Bauza, Candi Milo, and Jim Cummings). It Ends (dir Alexander Ullom, starr Phinehas Yoon, Akira Jackson, Noah Toth, and Mitchell Cole). Buddy (dir Casper Kelly, starr Cristin Milioti, Delaney Quinn, Patton Oswalt, Michael Shannon, Topher Grace, and Keegan-Michael Key). The Dog Stars (dir Ridley Scott, starr Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, and Guy Pearce). T eenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma (dir Jane Schoenbrun, starr Hannah Einbinder, Gillian Anderson, Jack Haven, Arthur Conti, Eva Victor, Zach Cherry, Sarah Sherman, Dylan Baker, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Quintessa Swindell, Kevin McDonald, Jess McLeod, Aren Buchholz, Florence Barrett, Ryan McEwen, Louise Weard, and Patrick Fischler). Under consideration for forthcoming review: Onslaught (dir Adam Wingard, starr Adria Arjona, Dan Stevens, Eric Wareheim, Reginald VelJohnson, Michael Biehn, Alex Pereira, Drew Starkey, and Rebecca Hall). Fall 2: Deadpoint (dirs Peter and Michael Spierig, starr Harriet Slater, Arsema Thomas, Tom Brittney, and Grace Caroline Currey). By Any Means (dir Elegance Bratton, starr Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Mark Wahlberg, Nicole Beharie, Josh Lucas, LisaGay Hamilton, LaChanze, Ethan Embry, David Strathairn, and Giancarlo Esposito). “Coyote vs Acme,” “It Ends,” “Buddy,” “The Dog Stars,” and “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma”