Spoilerpiece Theatre

Evan kicks things off this week by reviewing Alessio Rigo de Righi and Matteo Zoppis' THE TALE OF KING CRAB (2:57), an Italian adventure film split in two parts with one that's much more interesting than the other. Next, everyone reviews Sam Jones' HBO documentary TONY HAWK: UNTIL THE WHEELS FALL OFF (11:42), a comprehensive film about the life and career of skateboarder Tony Hawk, which has us split. We wrap up with Jane Schoenbrun's horror film WE'RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD'S FAIR (30:39), a spooky, ambiguous film about a teen who plays an online horror game and documents the strange changes she goes through afterward. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about Gareth Evans' 2011 Indonesian action flick THE RAID aka THE RAID: REDEMPTION!

We kick things off this week with Charlie McDowell's slow-burn character study WINDFALL (3:11), which is about a man (Jason Segel) who breaks into a tech billionaire's empty vacation home, but has to radically change his plans when the mogul and his wife (Jesse Plemons and Lily Collins) unexpectedly arrive. Next, we review Eva Husson's MOTHERING SUNDAY (21:31), a decades-spanning drama starring Odessa Young about grief and loss in the wake of WWI, which features a LOT of nude scenes. Then we cover Janus Metz's ALL THE OLD KNIVES (40:54), a messy spy thriller starring Chris Pine and Thandiwe Newton whose title also happens to rhyme with a Blink 182 song. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we review Christopher Winterbauer's 2022 HBO Max sci-fi rom-com MOONSHOT! 

We start by discussing this year's Oscars, particularly the winners, the snubs, and our overall thoughts on the program. Then Dave and Evan review the Roshan Sethi's rom-com 7 DAYS (11:49), about a mismatched Indian-American couple (Karan Soni and Geraldine Viswanathan) who start out on a traditional pre-arranged date and have to shelter in place together once COVID spreads. Next, we all tackle the latest SCREAM movie (21:55), a meta horror flick that has us split. After that we cover Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of the Agatha Christie murder mystery DEATH ON THE NILE (42:19), another film that has us divided. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about the winner of our women-directed films poll, Susan Seidelman's 1985 dramedy, DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN, starring Rosanna Arquette and Madonna!

As promised, we're going to start featuring more guests on the show, so this week Jason from Binge Movies joins us! After he briefly shares what his podcast is all about, we all review Ti West's X (7:17), a horror movie about an adult film crew in 1970s rural Texas who are attacked by their elderly hosts, starring Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Brittany Snow, and more. A lot of critics have unabashedly praised this film, but we have both compliments and criticism in our robust, nuanced conversation of the well-crafted yet problematic film. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, Jason also joins us to discuss Robert Zemeckis' 2000 thriller WHAT LIES BENEATH starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford!  Get Your Spoilerpiece Merch Join Our Patreon

We're back to business as usual this week, starting with MEASURE OF REVENGE (3:02), an atrocious, amateurish thriller starring Melissa Leo as an unhinged stage actress seeking revenge for her son's murder. Then we review Domee Shi's moving Pixar film TURNING RED (18:49), which uses a Chinese Canadian girl's magical transformation to deftly explore the struggles of puberty. After that we cover Adrian Lyne's disappointing "erotic" thriller DEEP WATER (36:38), starring Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas as a vindictive, dysfunctional couple coming apart at the seams. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about RETURN OF THE JEDI!  Get Your Spoilerpiece Merch Join Our Patreon

It's our 400th episode of Spoilerpiece Theatre, so we've cooked up something extra special for you, Spoilerpeeps! After some thank yous and very special announcements (hello Spoilerpiece merch), original Spoilerpiece co-host Kris Jenson stops by (16:00) to talk about Fred Zinnemann's 1952 Western, HIGH NOON from the AFI Top 100 list! Then we have previous guests and friends of the show stop by to talk about spoilers in some of their favorite films. We chat with Max Covill from It's the Pictures (49:03), Andy Crump (56:32), Dede Crimmins (65:48), Charlie Nash from Almost Major (1:12:31), J.C. from Screen Fix (1:21:24), Kristen Halbert (1:34:44), and The Lady-Wan from ScreenRun (1:49:15). And if that wasn't enough, this week's Patreon bonus audio, where we talk about Robin Hardy's 1973 horror film THE WICKER MAN is available for everyone to hear!

This week we start with Mimi Cave's FRESH (2:39), a horror movie starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan that made one of us so queasy they had to turn it off. Next, we review THE DESPERATE HOUR (27:27), Philip Noyce's frustrating thriller about a mother (Naomi Watts) trying to resolve a hostage crisis at her son's school from her phone while she's running through the woods. We close with Matt Reeves' much anticipated movie THE BATMAN (37:55), a stylish film noir detective story worthy of its almost three-hour runtime. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about Guillermo del Toro's 2006 dark fairytale, PAN'S LABYRINTH!  

It's a suspenseful week on Spoilerpiece with two horror films and a thriller. First up is John Adams, Zelda Adams, and Toby Poser's creepy family-made horror flick HELLBENDER (2:12), which is about a lonely teen uncovering her family's connection to witchcraft. Next is BJ McDonnell's STUDIO 666 (19:14), a horror comedy about the Foo Fighters trying to record their 10th album in a haunted mansion. Then we review Steven Soderbergh's thriller KIMI (39:25), starring Zoë Kravitz as an agoraphobic Big Tech employee who stumbles onto a conspiracy. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about the winner of our poll, Gina Prince-Bythewood's 2000 romance LOVE & BASKETBALL, starring Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps!

This week we have strong opinions about all the movies we cover. First up, is Josephine Decker's THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE (1:43), a surreal romance none of us could stand about a teen coping with the death of her older sister. Next, we cover Kentucker Audley and Albert Birney's colorful sci-fi romance STRAWBERRY MANSION (19:08), a story that's stylized and smart, but becomes way too weird for one of us. Lastly, we review A BANQUET (30:50), Ruth Paxton's tense psychological horror film, which we all agree falters in one key area. And in honor of Black History Month, this week we talk about Spike Lee's biopic MALCOLM X starring Denzel Washington for our Patreon exclusive audio! 

We start the show by offering our brief reactions to this year's Oscar nominations, which were released this week. After that we review Disney's ENCANTO (6:39), a heartwarming animated tale about a magical Colombian family, which features incredible songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Next, we dig into Guillermo del Toro's stylish, yet long film noir NIGHTMARE ALLEY (25:44), which has us split. Then we discuss Kat Coiro's delightful rom-com MARRY ME (40:09), a film about nice things happening to nice people, starring Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about Greg Berlanti's 2018 queer teen rom-com, LOVE, SIMON!

This week it's documentary full of rom-coms! First up, is Thomas Hamilton's doc BORIS KARLOFF: THE MAN BEHIND THE MONSTER (2:22), which offers fascinating facts, but distractingly bad production values. Next, we cover a movie that has us split, Joan Carr-Wiggin's rom-com A GRAND ROMANTIC GESTURE (20:18), which is about a recently retired woman who falls for the man playing the Romeo to her Juliet in her drama class. Then we review another film that has us split, Analeine Cal y Mayor's rom-com BOOK OF LOVE (36:40), which is about two writers (Sam Claflin and Verónica Echegui) who connect with each other during a book tour in Mexico. And on this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about the winner of our January poll: the 2018 Claire Denis film HIGH LIFE, starring Robert Pattinson and Juliette Binoche!

Hi, everyone! Buckle up because we have a lot of movies this week. Megan and Dave run through Sundance and just about every movie they saw. (Evan is off this week and will return next week.) There's so much to get to, we'll dispense with the descriptions here, give you the lead actor info, and get right to the timecodes. Both Megan and Dave saw LIVING (2:19) starring Bill Nighy; DUAL (8:31) starring Karen Gillan and Aaron Paul; YOU WON'T BE ALONE (13:00) starring Noomi Rapace; and MASTER (19:10) starring Regina Hall and Zoe Renee. The following three movies both Megan and Dave like a lot: A LOVE SONG (27:10), starring Dale Dickey; AM I OK? (36:23), starring Dakota Johnson; and AFTER YANG (48:38), starring Colin Farrell and Haley Lu Richardson. Finally, Dave gives short reviews of CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH (59:30), starring Cooper Raiff and Dakota Johnson; ALICE (1:01:24), starring Keke Palmer; SUMMERING (1:03:48), starring Lake Bell, Sarah Cooper and Megan Mullally; and WHEN YOU FINISH SAVING THE WORLD (1:05:15), s

Evan and Megan start this week by reviewing Mamoru Hosoda's moving anime drama BELLE (2:06) about a shy young woman who escapes to a virtual reality world where she becomes a pop star. Next, everyone discusses Asghar Farhadi's heartbreaking drama A HERO (17:19), about a man on leave from debtor's prison trying everything he can to keep himself from going back. We wrap up with ETERNALS (33:33), Chloé Zhao's Marvel superhero epic about a group of ancient heroes, which feels both too long and too short at the same time. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about Michael Curtiz and William Keighley's 1938 swashbuckler THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland.

We start this week by reviewing Adam McKay's hotly-debated Netflix climate change satire, DON'T LOOK UP (2:17), digging into the many ways it's ineffective, and the couple of ways it is. Then we cover Randall Okita's tense thriller SEE FOR ME (21:20), about a blind woman stuck inside a house full of crooks with nothing but an app and an army vet on the other side of it to guide her. We wrap up with Pedro Almodóvar's moving, complex drama PARALLEL MOTHERS (33:11), which is about two mothers who give birth on the same day, and oh so much more. We won't spoil it here, but we sure will in the episode. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we finally review the 1985 John Hughes classic, THE BREAKFAST CLUB! 

We didn't get a chance to share our top 10 films from 2021 last week, so we're doing it this week! We each dig into our individual top 10 films from our 2021 Boston Online Film Critics Association Awards ballots, discussing the overlap between our lists, and the unique films that made our respective ballots. First up, is Dave (2:47), whose ballot includes a documentary, comedies, and dramas. He's followed by Evan (33:20), whose list includes dramas, comedies, and horror. After that is Megan (47:09), whose list includes horror, dramas, and one comedy. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we decided to review a film with the number 10 in the title, 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU, starring Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger! 

We're taking the red pill for our last show of 2021 so we can discuss THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS! We had so much to say we felt that the movie deserved a whole episode worth of conversation. We delve deep into the film's themes, particularly its humorous meta commentary on its own existence, its continuation of the Matrix story as a trans allegory, and the many exciting ways it both builds on the Matrix mythology and takes a hammer to it. We also talk about how the movie fits into the context of the franchise as a whole and briefly talk about our experience revisiting the previous films as a primer for this one. And on this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we go a completely different direction by talking about the winner of our Christmas heist movie poll, Daryl Duke's 1978 film THE SILENT PARTNER starring Elliott Gould and Christopher Plummer! 

It’s movies-that-studios-are-pushing-for-awards week on Spoilerpiece! First up, Evan and Dave talk about Mike Mills’ C’MON C’MON (1:48), a funny drama starring Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny, who steps in to take care of his nephew Jesse (Woody Norman) while Jesse’s mother Viv (Gaby Hoffman) tends to her husband, Jesse’s father, who has bipolar disorder. That’s a clunky description, but don’t hold that against us because it’s a great conversation about a movie that’s firmly plugged into its emotional arc. Next, everyone saw THE TENDER BAR (22:03), director George Clooney’s latest, about JR (Daniel Ranieri as a kid and Tye Sheridan as a young adult), who moves with his mother (Lily Rabe) to her childhood home. Good news: Her brother, JR’s Uncle Charlie, is Ben Affleck. The bad news? Not enough Ben Affleck. Lastly, we talk about RED ROCKET (39:15), director Sean Baker’s latest. Mikey Saber (a terrific Simon Rex), a washed-up porn star, returns to his working class Texas hometown, crashing into his estranged wife’s l

Megan is back from vacation, so she's excited to review this week's films! We start with Lauren Hadaway's unsettling psychological thriller THE NOVICE (2:24), about a college student's obsessive quest to make her school's varsity rowing team. Then we review Jane Campion's beautifully shot Western THE POWER OF THE DOG (21:42), starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Jesse Plemons. The Netflix film has been racking up awards from many film critics groups, including the Boston Online Film Critics Association, so we have a lot to say about it. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we change things up a bit by talking about our favorite movie car chases! 

Frequent guest Charlie Nash stops by this week to fill in for Megan. He offers a quick plug for his new podcast, Almost Major, before he reviews Steven Spielberg's adaptation of WEST SIDE STORY (6:09), which despite his admitted bias against a particular actor in it, offers great spectacle and inspired tweaks to the original story. Next, we all discuss Paul Schrader's THE CARD COUNTER (16:30), an intense tale about trauma and guilt starring Oscar Isaac, Tye Sheridan, Tiffany Haddish, and Willem Dafoe. After that we delve into Ridley Scott's HOUSE OF GUCCI (39:28), a movie about wealth and manipulation that we have polarized reactions to. One thing we do agree on: Lady Gaga is great in it. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about a Patron's request, Ted Demme's 1994 dark Christmas comedy, THE REF, starring Denis Leary!

Megan's on vacation (and we miss her), so we invite a very special guest to join us this week: former Spoilerpiece co-host Kris Jenson! We're excited to have Kris back for an episode, but feel bad about the movies we made him watch. At least we have some great discussions about them! First up is Michael Pearce's muddled sci-fi film ENCOUNTER (4:26), starring Riz Ahmed as a father trying to protect his two sons from an alien invasion. Then we cover Camille Griffin's uneven mix of sci-fi and dark comedy, SILENT NIGHT (31:17), which is about old friends who get together on Christmas as one last hurrah before their imminent demise. And on this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we talk with Kris about Paul Verhoeven's 1990 sci-fi action film TOTAL RECALL, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger!