Brian S. Stewart
241 episodes listed below
Movie talk with old-friend mileage.
The Office Grunts is a relaxed film conversation built around friends and former brothers in arms who still sound like they are catching up after work. New releases, yearly lists, and older favorites share space with Christmas lights, school breaks, family theater trips, and jokes that wander before landing.
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The Office Grunts is a film podcast that keeps one foot in the theater and the other in ordinary middle-aged life. It is not built like a tight review show. It takes its time. Brian Stewart and John Wayne Reynolds talk like friends who know the movie is on the agenda but also know the update before the movie is part of the point. In its episodes, that means vacation talk, Christmas lights, kids getting out of school, NFL playoffs, post-holiday routines, and the practical realities of seeing movies around family life. Then the conversation turns. Recent episodes cover Project Hail Mary, Crime 101, Marty Supreme, The Rip, Bugonia, The Smashing Machine, The Holdovers, Wake Up Dead Man, Train Dreams, Jay Kelly, Narc, and Uncut Gems. The pair can be funny about awkward titles and domestic negotiations, but the movie discussion is not casual in the careless sense. They notice pacing. They argue with endings. They care about performances, especially when a tense or abrasive movie reveals something more humane underneath. Marty Supreme becomes not just a tense movie, but a story about responsibility and fatherhood. Project Hail Mary leads to a patient back-and-forth about adaptation, runtime, and how many endings a story can survive. Narc opens the door to talk about undercover work, addiction, police movies, and the way a smaller release stayed with them. The show has a grounded middle-America sensibility, including the frustration of waiting for films to reach local theaters or streaming before making a yearly list. It is conversational without being empty. It is opinionated without sounding like a lecture. John Arlen Peterson appears in its episodes as an original host returning for a top-ten episode, which gives that installment the feel of a reunion as much as a ranking. The chemistry depends on familiarity: one person builds the story, another redirects it, and the movie talk benefits from the detours. Listeners get recommendations, warnings, jokes, and personal readings in the same flow. The Office Grunts suits people who want film conversation that sounds lived in, where a thriller, a Christmas movie, and a dad-life anecdote can all belong in the same hour.
Made for: For listeners who like relaxed film discussion with personal context, family-life asides, and strong opinions that arrive through conversation rather than formal criticism.
What sets it apart: The show stands out by letting friendship carry the structure: movie analysis, yearly lists, and genre talk are folded into domestic updates, holiday routines, and the practical comedy of making room for films in adult life.
As young men they patrolled Baghdad together in the infantry. As middle-aged office professionals...they don't do that anymore. Listen as longtime Army buddies John Arlan Peterson, John Wayne Reynolds, Jr., and Brian Stewart (aka Petey, John Wayne, and Stew) break down movies, life, and whatever the heck they want, on The Office Grunts Podcast.
Based on 5 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Longtime friends test firm movie opinions against performance, structure, adaptation choices, and the viewing memories that shaped them.
The Office Grunts turns movie reviewing into a candid argument among longtime friends. Brian Stewart, John Wayne Reynolds, and John Arlen Peterson move between current releases, older favorites, annual rankings, and multi-film conversations, with firm verdicts that remain open…
Three former brothers-in-arms turn movie night into the argument you wish your group chat could sustain.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A banter-heavy Project Hail Mary discussion that keeps finding one more ending before settling on four stars.
Brian Stewart and John Wayne Reynolds spend a good part of this episode circling Project Hail Mary, but they take the long route there: work updates, a new-house check-in, and a loose, banter-first pace before the movie talk really locks in.
A reunion-heavy top 10 that turns a 2025 list into an easy, lived-in hangout.
The Office Grunts uses its long hiatus return to settle back into a familiar hangout: three old friends, with John Arlen Peterson back, building their top 10 movies of 2025 and letting the conversation drift through its usual detours.
A loose, personal look at Narc and why it still lands.
Brian Stewart and John Wayne Reynolds spend much of the episode on Narc, tracing why the movie still holds up: the dead-cop setup, the undercover rot, the wife monologue, and the film's bleak charge.
A candid Gladiator II talk that values chemistry over polish.
This Gladiator II discussion reads more like two friends weighing in than a formal verdict, and that looseness gives it its appeal. The sharpest moments land on Denzel Washington's scene-stealing turn, with attention on the costume, the swagger, and the way he keeps the film…
A loose movie chat that builds into a strong performance case.
The Office Grunts episode works best as a loose, personal movie conversation between longtime friends, with kid sports, actor memories, and unfinished recollections that only settle into place as the discussion goes on.
Football talk with dirt under its nails.
Brian Stewart and John Wayne Reynolds start with the usual catch-up on work, vacation, and a new house.
The Office Grunts returns after a long hiatus to sort through its top 10 movies of 2025.
Brian Stewart and John Wayne Reynolds come back after a few weeks away, with life and blizzard conditions in Ohio knocking the plan sideways.
Two friends discuss three movies including Marty Supreme, The Bone Temple, and Netflix's The Rip in a casual podcast episode.
Brian Stewart and John Wayne Reynolds reunite on the Office Grunts podcast after the holidays to discuss movies, life, and various topics as longtime friends.
Two Army veteran friends discuss movies and life with comedic banter, starting with a clip from the film The Holdovers.
Two Army buddies discuss a crime film plot and share Christmas excitement in a casual, humorous podcast.
Two Army veterans and friends discuss movies and life, starting with a movie clip and transitioning into a casual conversation about Christmas preparations.
Two Army veterans discuss the film 'Nuremberg' starring Russell Crowe, analyzing its portrayal of the post-WWII tribunal.
The hosts discuss the Netflix miniseries Death by Lightning and rank their most underrated historical films.
Two Army buddies review the latest Predator movie and Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein adaptation.
The hosts, former infantrymen, review Catherine Bigelow's new movie 'A House of Dynamite' on Netflix.
Two Army buddies turned office workers review recent movies including Caught Stealing and Eden.
Three Army buddies review and discuss recent movies including F1, Jurassic Park Rebirth, and Ballerina.
Veterans discuss warfare in movies and share personal experiences.
Two friends discuss their double feature episode reviewing the movies 'The Accountant' and 'The Accountant 2', sharing their perspectives as former military colleagues turned office professionals.
Two Army buddies review the Marvel movie Thunderbolts, discussing its plot, characters, and place in the MCU.
Two Army veteran friends catch up and prepare to review the new movie 'Sinners'.
Two Army buddies chat about Val Kilmer and Apple Watches with humorous banter.
Three army buddies reunite to discuss their top 10 movies of 2024, mixing film analysis with personal anecdotes and humor.
Two friends discuss movies and life, including topics like Captain America: Brave New World and Lord of the Rings, while reflecting on their personal changes.
Two Army veterans catch up and joke about beards, movies, and life in a comedic podcast episode.
Two Army veterans celebrate their 200th episode with humorous banter and reflections on their podcasting journey.
Two friends catch up on their holiday activities, including Christmas parades, family movies, and making gifts, while reminiscing about their shared past.
Brian Stewart and John Wayne Reynolds kick things off with a quick life-and-geekery catch-up.
Two friends discuss the movies 'Heretic' and 'Woman of the Hour' on Netflix in this casual podcast episode.
Two Army veterans catch up and discuss life, movies, and family in a humorous, casual conversation.
Two Army veteran friends review and discuss the movies Joker: Folie à Deux and Megalopolis.
Brian Stewart and John Wayne Reynolds open with life updates after a few weeks apart.
Two friends discuss movies, life, and current events, including the NFL kickoff and COVID experiences, in a casual podcast format.
Two Army buddies and office professionals review the original 1994 film The Crow and its 2024 remake.
Two Army veteran friends discuss and review Alien Romulus and Alien 3 on their movie podcast.