Spoilerpiece Theatre

Because we support Black Lives Matter, and we believe in amplifying Black voices, we open our show this week by discussing Coolidge Corner Theatre's anti-racist film list (5:44) and offering our own racial justice film recommendations. Then we talk about the brutally violent, wildly entertaining movie, BECKY (20:06), where Lulu Wilson fights a neo-Nazi played by Kevin James. Next, we cover the beautiful, psychological film SHIRLEY (39:33), where Elisabeth Moss plays a fictionalized version of writer Shirley Jackson. In our Patreon bonus audio, we review Takashi Miike's DEAD OR ALIVE, which caused one of us to turn it off after just 15 minutes.

This week we discuss obnoxious drink orders before we delve into our three movies. First, is the disappointing Netflix romcom/murder mystery THE LOVEBIRDS (2:31), which squanders Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani’s chemistry. Next is the entertaining dark comedy LUCKY GRANDMA (16:49), about a hilarious chain-smoking Chinese grandma (Tsai Chin). Then, we cover the sprawling Dakota Johnson/Tracee Ellis Ross music industry drama, THE HIGH NOTE (33:56), which divides our co-hosts. Over on our Patreon exclusive audio we review Justin Lin’s BETTER LUCK TOMORROW in honor of Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month. Both our main episode and Patreon segment were edited by Otto Klammer.

This week is Cerealpiece Theatre before we talk about movies! First up is MILITARY WIVES (5:15), a cozy, yet predictable film about sparring military spouses (Kristin Scott Thomas and Sharon Horgan) trying to manage a choir when their husbands are deployed. Next is THE PAINTER AND THE THIEF (18:47), a moving documentary about a painter and a thief's fascinating relationship. Then, it's THE TRIP TO GREECE (38:40), the funny, but somber final film in The TRIP series with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon. On our Patreon bonus episode we discuss the winner of our tearjerker poll: DEAD POETS SOCIETY.

Stay-at-home-piece Theatre opens this week with Megan and Evan discussing the Indigenous zombie flick BLOOD QUANTUM (2:42), which has satisfying, gore-filled action scenes. Next, everyone covers CIRCUS OF BOOKS (17:44), a slightly scattered, yet compelling documentary about a nice Jewish couple that ran a gay porn store. Lastly, they dissect THE VAST OF NIGHT (39:39), a sci-fi film that pays homage to THE TWILIGHT ZONE with very different degrees of success depending on which co-host you ask.

Another week housebound, another week streaming! First up it’s HOW TO BUILD A GIRL (3:05), the Beanie Feldstein-starring coming-of-age tale about a young woman who’s trying to find herself amid shady parents, asshole colleagues, and her own bad decisions. Then it’s SPACESHIP EARTH (23:20) a documentary that is NOT about EPCOT Center or Buckminster Fuller (or Steve Bannon, though he makes an appearance), but about the are-they-wackos who designed and lived in Biosphere 2. Finally, it’s more coming-of-age with Alice Wu’s THE HALF OF IT (41:34)! This movie stands out for its Cyrano-de-Bergerac-with-a-queer-twist plot that met with three different opinions from Evan, Megan, and Dave. Over on Patreon, we talk about REC, the 2007 horror movie that feels waaaaaaay too timely.

Megan leads off this week's show with the beautifully made, but bleak post-war film BEANPOLE (3:50). Then she and Evan review the intriguing yet problematic Hugh Jackman/Allison Janney-led HBO picture BAD EDUCATION (17:15). Next, everyone covers DEERSKIN (34:35), a crazy French film with subtext that may or may not be intentional. Finally, they all discuss The WRETCHED (48:00), a horror movie that's strongest when it focuses on its creature and mythology.

This week on StreamingPiece Theatre, we have three very different movies. First, Megan tells Evan and Dave about TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG (3:36), yet another movie about 19th century Australian outlaw Ned Kelly. Then everyone saw THE WHISTLERS (21:16) and SEA FEVER (which, by the way, has many parallels to the current pandemic) (29:35). Which one was everyone on board with? And which one did everyone wish they hadn’t seen? All will be revealed! And this week over on our Patreon we talk about MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL.

This week on Social Distancing-piece Theatre Megan leads off with AND THEN WE DANCED (3:55), a moving tale of gay romance in Georgia (the country, not the state). Then she covers SELAH AND THE SPADES (15:58), a poignant, yet stylized high school flick about a gang leader and her crew. After that everyone reviews the abominable Netflix romcom LOVE WEDDING REPEAT (30:40). Lastly, they all discuss TIGERTAIL (42:25), the Netflix drama about love, loss, and The American Dream.

It’s episode 300 on Spoilerpiece this week! And it’s a wacky week: The coronavirus pandemic continues to turn American and international life into something almost unrecognizable. With that in mind, we’re still social distancing and going through the streaming services to find the good stuff. And we have a special guest! Shauna Harris, an attorney (and Evan’s co-host in life), joins the gang this week. The first movie on the docket is THE OTHER LAMB (4:47), a story about an all-female cult and the lone man who leads it. Next is the entirely different (from THE OTHER LAMB) SAINT FRANCES (15:21), a comedy/drama about a woman who lands a job nannying the Frances of the title. NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS (33:48), a movie that will likely end up on some top ten lists, depicts a young woman forced to travel to New York to seek an abortion. And lastly, everyone watched Netflix’s HOW TO FIX A DRUG SCANDAL (46:40). The multi-episode limited series depicts the aforementioned scandal, which took place right here in Ma

We're still social distancing, but we've got tons of streaming titles to discuss. First, Evan delves into the salacious Netflix docuseries TIGER KING (4:20). Next, Megan covers BACURAU (15:00), a Brazilian film that sounds bonkers, in a good way. Then Evan reviews RESISTANCE (26:10), the Jesse Eisenberg film about Marcel Marceau. After that Megan and Dave tackle Ellen Page's doc THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE WATER (33:35). Everyone wraps with UNCORKED (46:40), a delightful drama about an aspiring sommelier.  

Welcome back to Coronapiece Theatre, everyone! Megan, Evan, and Dave are still sheltering in place so it's more streaming flicks! And there are lots of flicks to stream. This week the gang talks JEZEBEL (2:58), a story about - among other things - sex work; BLOOD ON HER NAME (10:35), a tale of what NOT to do when you're committing murder; CONTAGION (19:45), Steven Soderbergh's way-too-prescient bio-horror procedural about a virus that wipes out a whole lotta people; and THE PLATFORM (40:45), one of the most popular movies on Netflix this week. Does this prison flick deserve its place among the popular? The opinions vary! And on our Patreon exclusive, we talk EVE'S BAYOU, director Kasi Lemmons' debut feature.

It’s an odd week at Spoilerpiece. We all recorded remotely because we, in the spirit of being decent human beings, are practicing social distancing. (If you’re listening to this at a different time in history, the coronavirus pandemic exploded in the last week.) As you probably know, many movie releases have been pushed to as-yet-undetermined dates, and that means critics’ screenings are canceled. So this week, and for the foreseeable future, we’re focusing on streaming movies. First is LOST GIRLS (2:41), a good, if heartbreaking, story about a mother (Amy Ryan) trying to find out what happened to her disappeared daughter. Then it’s BLOW THE MAN DOWN (21:22), a noir-flavored drama (with occasionally singing, though this is not a musical) about two sisters who find themselves up to their eyeballs in murder and trouble in a tiny Maine town. On our Patreon this week we talk about Choose Your Own Adventure books and of course we yap about lots of different movies. Stay safe everyone. 

Dave is back this week from his horse vacation! Is he rested? Neigh. First on the docket this week is EMMA. (4:16), director Autumn de Wilde’s take on Jane Austen's classic novel starring Anya Taylor-Joy. Next is SWALLOW (19:04), a movie that defies simple explanation but will definitely linger in your mind for a long time after you see it. Then THE HUNT (39:33) is finally out! Is it crummy? Or good? Or somewhere in between? Your questions will be answered! And over on Patreon this week, we talk John Carpenter’s ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK in the exclusive audio segment.

Dave's on vaca one last week, so Kristen Halbert fills in to discuss a panel about video game to film adaptations (4:05) that she and Evan attended at PAX East. After they explore ideas for future adaptations, Megan reviews the new Pixar film ONWARD (21:23), a heartwarming family tale. Next she and Evan discuss THE LODGE (29:30), a creepy horror flick they're split on. Finally, everyone digs into THE WAY BACK (47:35), a Ben Affleck film about addiction that leaves one host feeling less than enthusiastic.

Dave is still on vacation so friend of the show Charlie Nash fills in for him this week. First, Megan reviews THE PHOTOGRAPH (3:43), a delightful romance that celebrates black lives. Then she and Charlie delve into THE ASSISTANT (13:57), a timely, anger-inducing movie about a day in the life of a harassed Hollywood assistant. Lastly, everyone talks about THE INVISIBLE MAN (33:48), a horrifying film with a gripping lead performance that’s incredibly triggering for the way it sensationalizes abuse.

Dave is on vacation so friend of the show Dede Crimmins returns as a guest this week! She starts off with her picks for Women in Horror Month: THE LODGE (6:47), PELICAN BLOOD (13:00), and DEAD DICKS (14:50). Then Evan reviews INCITEMENT (20:31), a tense thriller from the Boston Israeli Film Festival. Next Megan and Dede tackle GRETEL & HANSEL (30:35), a fun spin on the classic fairy tale. The gang wraps up with HORSE GIRL (45:05), the Netflix thriller starring Alison Brie that's annoyingly ambiguous.

Hanging chads, pepperoni, and things swingin’ are big topics of conversation this week. Plus, we have lots of movies. Megan talks about PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE (4:18), which is FINALLY coming out in the U.S. Then Evan spills the beans about the Boston Israeli Film Festival and the documentary BREAKING BREAD (15:50), the dark comedy FORGIVENESS (19:28), starring what Evan calls Israel’s Nick Frost and Simon Pegg, the documentary I WAS NOT BORN A MISTAKE (23:50), about an orthodox trans woman, and the dark comedy BORN IN JERUSALEM AND STILL ALIVE (31:00). Then it’s the Boston SciFi Film Festival, with PROXIMA (38:06) leading off the discussion, followed by THE LONG WALK (47:48), a horror/sci-fi movie featuring an older man and a ghost who helps him to travel through time, and the fallout that results from it. Finally it's AFTER WE LEAVE (55:10), a dystopian future flick that has some good elements and not so good elements

It’s not a first, but it doesn’t happen often. We can recommend all the movies we watched this week! First up is the Netflix documentary MISS AMERICANA (4:45) starring Taylor Swift. Megan successfully spoilerpieces Dave and Evan into wanting to see it. Following is the French film LES MISÉRABLES (19:26), which is NOT a musical about a bunch of poor French people who stole loaves of bread and spent years in prison. Finally, Megan and Dave talk about BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN) (36:30), a movie that is a vast improvement over its predecessor, SUICIDE SQUAD, which, not coincidentally, is the subject of this week’s exclusive audio content at patreon.com/spoilerpiece. And please make sure you watch our Oscars live stream on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020, at 8 PM ET. Download the FREE HotMic app for Apple or Android or at http://hotmic.io and use the promo code RIEDEL.

This week we have two movies on tap. First Megan reviews THE TURNING (2:35), a gothic horror film starring Mackenzie Davis, Finn Wolfhard, and Brooklynn Prince, which shocks you with brutal violence, sexist tropes, and a controversial twist. Second, everyone reviews THE RHYTHM SECTION (21:10), the Blake Lively action flick that’s raw and realistic, but it’s linear, predictable, and dumb. The whole thing leaves the gang listless, as they wander into tangents about ratings systems and Gloria Estefan.

This week we have but one film - it’s the January dead zone, after all - Guy Ritchie’s THE GENTLEMEN. Are the men gentlemanly? Are there twists and turns? Are there lots of rhymes and non-sequiturs? If you’ve seen any of Ritchie’s gangster pictures, you’ll know what you’re getting and how much you like it depends on how much you like Ritchie’s other London crime underworld movies. We had a lot of fun with this one, and in addition to THE GENTLEMEN, we talk about getting old, Christopher Nolan’s BATMAN series, Clark Kent and Superman, WINTER SOLDIER, and Dave feeling dumb in school.