WORDS / JULIA M. TRUPP

PHOTO COURTESY / INITIAL REACTION

Before the curtain opened on Tavern Talk with writer and aspiring filmmaker Philip Price in Little Rock, most viewers knew it as “Initial Reaction.” After partnering with a larger theater  and losing a co-host to a job offer in Northwest Arkansas in 2018, the show’s name and format evolved, and Price began co-reviewing film releases with various guest hosts at the Movie Tavern by Marcus Theatres. And so, Tavern Talk was born. 

“Tavern Talk affords me the opportunity to be creative on a consistent basis and ensure I don’t lose sight of what I’ve always wanted to do,” Price said. “I always wanted to write and direct movies and with Tavern Talk I not only get to come up with and shoot fun skits every week to put before our reviews, but I am also able to see new movies every week and talk about them with people who love the magic of the theater-going experience just as much as I do.” 

Price and his Tavern Talk crew want each review to reach as many cinephiles as it can, so they take advantage of early Thursday-night showtimes that hype up opening weekends. Complete with a cold open, Tavern Talk reviews are typically posted to YouTube on the movie’s official release day or opening weekend. Comment, like and subscribe to the Tavern Talk by Initial Reaction channel on YouTube to stay up to date.

// @INITIAL.REACTION

// YOUTUBE.COM/INITIALREACTIONREVIEWS