Spoilerpiece Theatre

This week we start by discussing Lisa Joy's platitude-filled sci-fi noir REMINISCENCE (2:14), starring Hugh Jackman. One of us enjoyed it, one thought it was "meh," and one found it utterly insufferable. Next, we cover David Lowery's epic fantasy film THE GREEN KNIGHT (18:29), starring Dev Patel as Gawain from Arthurian legend. Overall, we dug this gorgeous film that both honors the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Next, we tackle Nia DaCosta's CANDYMAN (38:23), a sequel to the 1992 film, which features lots of visually stunning and unsettling moments, but two of us thought it didn't dig as deep into social commentary as it could have. And on this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about the winner of our amusement park movie poll, Herk Harvey's 1962 horror film CARNIVAL OF SOULS.

We kick off this week's show by reviewing Neill Blomkamp's disappointing digital horror film DEMONIC (01:34), a movie that lacks a lot of things like cohesive story and mythology, but most surprisingly, it lacks his usual great production design and special effects. Next, we discuss CONFETTI (17:42), Ann Hu's moving yet ableist immigrant tale about a Chinese mother (Zhu Zhu) trying everything she can to give her daughter with dyslexia a proper education in the U.S. We wrap up with THE NIGHT HOUSE (33:43), David Bruckner's atmospheric horror movie about a wife (Rebecca Hall) haunted by the increasingly disturbing secrets she learns about her recently deceased husband. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about Joseph L. Mankiewicz's 1950 showbiz drama ALL ABOUT EVE starring Bette Davis and Anne Baxter.

Get ready for a singing animated kinkajou, a ragtag group of antiheroes blowing up a fake Latin American country, and a clueless American getting the crap kicked out of him in Greece! We start this week with Brandon Jeffords and Kirk DeMicco's sweet but saccharine Netflix animated film VIVO (0:55), starring Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ynairaly Simo, Zoe Saldana, and Gloria Estefan. Next, we discuss James Gunn's THE SUICIDE SQUAD (15:36), not to be confused with that other awful DC movie about a task force of supervillains. Gunn's adaptation is much better, but still has us split. And lastly we review Ferdinando Cito Filomarino's Netflix thriller BECKETT (37:11) starring John David Washington, which has some strong action, yet weak writing. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about Sam Raimi's 2009 horror film DRAG ME TO HELL! 

This week we start by discussing Kristine Stolakis's compelling Netflix documentary PRAY AWAY (1:33), which chronicles the "pray the gay away" movement and forces its former leaders to confront the damage it did to the LGBTQ+ community. Next, we cover Pascual Sisto's frustrating and listless film JOHN AND THE HOLE (21:14), about a boy who holds his family (Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Ehle, and Taissa Farmiga) captive in a hole. We wrap up with Leos Carax's bizarre and grating musical ANNETTE (35:14), starring Adam Driver, Marion Cotillard, and Simon Helberg (or as two of us know him, that guy from THE BIG BANG THEORY). And in our Patreon exclusive audio, we travel back to 1941 to talk about the Preston Sturges comedy SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS, starring Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake! 

What if souls had to interview to be born? That's the premise of the first film on our docket this week, Edson Oda's moving drama NINE DAYS (1:59), starring Winston Duke and Zazie Beetz. Next, we review FEAR STREET: Part Three - 1666 (16:14), the satisfying conclusion to Leigh Janiak's Netflix horror trilogy, which we've really enjoyed discussing over the past two episodes. We wrap up with Jaume Collet-Serra's JUNGLE CRUISE (37:18), the latest Disney ride turned movie starring Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson that borrows too heavily from other adventure films, including some of Disney's. And on this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we discuss the winner of our video game movie poll: the 2006 Christophe Gans film SILENT HILL! 

Spoilerpiece celebrates its 7th anniversary this week! After we all offer a huge thank you to everyone who has supported us over the years, Megan leads off with a review of M. Night Shyamalan's OLD (5:52), a horror movie about people aging rapidly, which is exactly what we expected in the worst way. Next, we talk about Navot Papushado's GUNPOWDER MILKSHAKE (17:44), a stylized Netflix action film with a stacked cast (Karen Gillan, Lena Headey, Carla Gugino, Angela Bassett, and Michelle Yeoh), that isn't used to its fullest. After that, we dig into SETTLERS (33:47), Wyatt Rockefeller's brutal sci-fi Western that we struggled through. We wrap up with FEAR STREET: Part Two - 1978 (44:04), the second film in Leigh Janiak's Netflix horror trilogy, which we were all excited to see (it doesn't disappoint). And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about Robert Luketic's 2001 rom-com LEGALLY BLONDE starring Reese Witherspoon! We have a blast talking about this movie, which recently marked its 20th anniversar

Brace yourselves for moving documentaries and Netflix horror this week! First, we discuss NO ORDINARY MAN (2:14), Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt's emotional documentary about trans jazz musician Billy Tipton, which features insightful commentary about the trans experience, and seeks to reclaim Tipton's life story for the trans community. We continue on in documentary territory with Morgan Neville's ROADRUNNER: A FILM ABOUT ANTHONY BOURDAIN (18:57), a haunting examination of the famous chef/television host's life, addictions, and loneliness that also beautifully honors his legacy. Last but not least, we dig into FEAR STREET: PART ONE - 1994 (41:39), the fun first installment in Leigh Janiak's Netflix horror trilogy, which is based on R.L. Stine's famous book series and stars Kiana Medeira, Olivia Scott Welch, and Benjamin Flores Jr. And in this week's Patreon bonus audio, we talk about Nora Ephron's 1998 rom-com YOU'VE GOT MAIL, starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks!

In this week's edition of "We Should Have Known Better," we cover Liam Neeson's latest action thriller, THE ICE ROAD (3:05), this year's early winner of the "It Wants to be 'The Wages of Fear' or even 'Sorcerer' but it's Really Just a Turd" award. Perhaps that's harsh, but as scary as Canadian ice roads are in April, even scarier is the prospect of a movie filled with half-baked ideas, crummy special effects, and a villain who has more lives than the Energizer bunny. It's just wretched. But man, was it fun to talk about! Next is FALSE POSITIVE (19:12), which star Ilana Glazer wrote with its director, John Lee. Who doesn't love pregnancy horror? In this case, two of us. (Actually, one of us loves pregnancy horror, but sadly, not this film.) As Dave puts it, this is a movie that offsets each good idea it has with a bad one. But one of us liked it! (And though he didn't mention it in the episode, Dave likes Pierce Brosnan's beard.) Lastly, it's NO SUDDEN MOVE (40:20), the new Steven Soderbergh noir thriller star

Kicking things off this week, we review Everardo Gout's THE FOREVER PURGE (5:58), the latest entry in the PURGE franchise! It stars Ana de la Reguera, Tenoch Huerta, and Josh Lucas. Megan and Dave discuss its relevance to recent American political events and why they really dug its political commentary. Next, we all talk about Chris McKay's long and disappointing sci-fi flick THE TOMORROW WAR (23:54), which has decent action, but a lot of bad writing and acting (especially from Chris Pratt). We wrap up with Cate Shortland's much anticipated movie BLACK WIDOW (40:48), starring Scarlett Johansson in the second female-led superhero film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. One of us loved it, but two of us had some mixed feelings about its performances and pacing. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we tackle Karyn Kusama and Diablo Cody's 2009 horror comedy JENNIFER'S BODY! 

Hey Everybody! We're Dave Riedel, Megan Kearns, and Evan Crean, and we're Spoilerpiece Theatre: The weekly film podcast that doesn't give a shit about spoilers, we just wanna talk about the movies! Join us each week as we help you decide what to watch by reviewing movies without letting spoilers get in the way of our discussion. Let us spoilerpiece you into wanting to see the movies we love. Find us wherever you get podcasts or at our website spoilerpiece.com. Music: No Hook (Instrumental) by Pandaraps and Gregory David

This week we kick off by reviewing ZOLA (2:15), Janicza Bravo's crime drama and dark comedy starring Taylour Paige and Riley Keough, which is based on a series of Tweets. Next, we cover I CARRY YOU WITH ME (17:48), Heidi Ewing's queer hybrid narrative/documentary film about a chef who leaves his soulmate in Mexico for a better life in New York, but must make serious sacrifices along the way. Then we talk about F9: THE FAST SAGA (34:10), Justin Lin's latest entry in the FAST & FURIOUS franchise, which finally makes good on a long-running fan prediction. Finally we wrap up with WEREWOLVES WITHIN (49:02), Josh Ruben's horror comedy about wacky small town folks trying to figure out which one of them may be a werewolf. And in this week's Patreon bonus audio, we talk about the winner of our LGBTQIA+ poll, Desiree Akhavan's 2018 film THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST!  

This week we review our second Natalie Morales film of the year, PLAN B (1:54), a hilarious road trip comedy on Hulu about best friends (Kuhoo Verma and Victoria Moroles) trying to track down emergency contraception in middle America. Next, we discuss LES NOTRES (24:38), Jeanne Leblanc's difficult to watch French Canadian drama, which prompts us to issue a trigger warning about the sexual abuse depicted in the film. Then we cover Pixar's LUCA (45:55), Enrico Casarosa's animated Italian adventure on Disney+ about sea monsters (Jacob Tremblay and Jack Dylan Grazer) who enter the world of humans and find friendship along the way. As part of our conversation, we delve into whether we also feel like movie is a queer love story like others have interpreted. And on this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about Theodore Witcher's 1997 romance LOVE JONES in honor of Black Music Appreciation Month! 

On this week's show we open with THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES (2:28), a wild animated movie featuring a regular ol' American family struggling to save humanity from a robot apocalypse. It's a hoot. Next up is CAVEAT (18:12), an Irish horror film that says, "Oh, you're not afraid of rabbits? Get a load of this shit" (Dave watched it in broad daylight if that tells you anything). Then there's HOLLER (34:36), written and directed by Nicole Riegel, about a high school senior (Jessica Barden) who joins a sleekly scummy scrap metal crew while trying to decide whether she's going to stay in her hit-by-hard-times Ohio hometown or go to college. Finally, we wrap up with IN THE HEIGHTS (45:28), the long-awaited adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes' musical, with a screenplay by Hudes directed by Jon M. Chu. One of us loved it, one of us enjoyed moments, and one of us was kind of "eh." Free scoop of ice cream if you guess correctly! And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about one of

This week we open by discussing George Romero's recently restored long-lost film, THE AMUSEMENT PARK (2:21), an extremely unsettling commentary on aging and ageism. Next, we review CHANGING THE GAME (13:01), Michael Barnett's compelling Hulu documentary about trans athletes in the U.S. Then we dig into UNDINE (27:48), Christian Petzold's moving and tragic modern fairy tale. We wrap up with Zack Snyder's Netflix zombie heist flick ARMY OF THE DEAD (39:38), which offers us plenty of bones to pick. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about a Patron's choice, Milos Forman's 1996 film THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT! 

This week we start by reviewing Armando Fonseca and Kapel Furman's SKULL: THE MASK (2:09), a Brazilian slasher film that can't decide on its tone. Then we cover SEANCE (13:04), Simon Barrett's boarding school-set horror flick that has us split. Next, we discuss RIDERS OF JUSTICE (26:24), Anders Thomas Jensen's thoughtful and endearing action film starring Mads Mikkelsen, which Evan caught at IFFBoston. Finally, we wrap up with CRUELLA (40:46), Craig Gillespie's Disney villain origin story starring Emma Stone, which we have very different opinions about. And in this week's Patreon bonus audio, we talk about the winner of our STAR WARS poll—the 2016 Gareth Edwards film ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY.

We start this week by reviewing Steven Kostanski's uneven horror comedy PSYCHO GOREMAN (2:08). Next, we cover Joe Wright's derivative and inert Netflix thriller THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW (13:22), which wastes Amy Adams and a great supporting cast. Then we discuss Taylor Sheridan's THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD (28:43), an Angelina Jolie forest fire thriller that really divided us. Lastly, we review Robert Connolly's Australian murder mystery THE DRY (41:20) from IFFBoston 2021, which features a compelling lead performance by Eric Bana. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we review Peyton Reed's 2000 cheerleading film BRING IT ON, starring Kirsten Dunst, Gabrielle Union, and Eliza Dushku.

This week Megan is on vacation so we're joined by guest Lady Wan from the Screen Run podcast! First, we review Neill Marshall's torturous period horror film THE RECKONING (2:24) about a woman falsely accused of being a witch. Next, we cover David Charbonier and Justin Powell's tense horror film THE DJINN (16:44), about a mute boy who asks a dark entity to grant his wish. Then, we wrap up with Robert Machoian's claustrophobic relationship drama THE KILLING OF TWO LOVERS (24:58), about a couple trying to work through their marriage. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we review Alex Cox's 1984 cult classic REPO MAN! 

Dave is off this week, so Megan and Evan talk about the movies. First, we review Marshall Burnette's sporadically intense thriller SILO (2:31) about the frantic attempt to rescue a teenager who's stuck in a grain silo. Then we discuss Maureen Bharoocha's charming comedy GOLDEN ARM (16:01), about a trucker (Betsy Sodaro) who trains her timid friend (Mary Holland) to compete in the National Ladies Arm Wrestling Tournament. Finally, we test our might with MORTAL KOMBAT (29:59), Simon McQuoid's adaptation of the famous video game, which we have very different opinions about. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we discuss the 1991 unconventional Albert Brooks romcom DEFENDING YOUR LIFE.

This week we start by recapping our thoughts on the 2021 Oscars! We talk about the ceremony's format, the nominees we wished won, the winners we loved, and the heartfelt acceptance speeches that moved us. Next we discuss Rodrigo García's FOUR GOOD DAYS (22:47), a challenging mother/daughter drama about addiction, starring Glenn Close and Mila Kunis. After that, we review LIMBO (37:11), Ben Sharrock's poignant and compelling drama about a Syrian refugee stuck in rural Scotland while he awaits his asylum request. We wrap up with TOM CLANCY'S WITHOUT REMORSE (49:37), Stefano Sollima's disappointing action flick starring Michael B. Jordan. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we review the winner of our hair poll: Paddy Breathnach's 2001 film BLOW DRY.

We start this week by covering films from Wicked Queer, Boston's LGBTQ+ Film Festival (1:46). Evan reviews the Israeli picture KISS ME KOSHER, and Megan offers quick takes on drama SEE YOU THEN, horror film BLOODTHIRSTY, and Taiwanese psychological thriller NINA WU. Then we all discuss Christopher Smith's horror film THE BANISHING (10:53), a disappointingly by-the-numbers haunted house story. Next, we talk about Ricky Staub's moving Netflix coming-of-age tale CONCRETE COWBOY (26:08) starring Caleb McLaughlin and Idris Elba. We wrap up with Nikole Beckwith's TOGETHER TOGETHER (42:29), a charming dramedy about platonic love and surrogacy starring Ed Helms and Patti Harrison. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we review a patron's choice, Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz's 1973 horror film MESSIAH OF EVIL.