Spoilerpiece Theatre

It’s a bountifully loaded week at Spoilerpiece! First, Megan talks about THE GOOD LIAR (3:00), starring Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen as two olds locked in a battle of rapidly aging wits. Is it good? Or is it just that Mirren and McKellen are good in an otherwise lackluster flick? Moving on to the Boston Jewish Film Festival, Evan talks briefly about the Tovah Feldshuh-starring GOLDA’S BALCONY (11:59). Then he and Megan share thoughts on MY POLISH HONEYMOON (14:40) and FLAWLESS (21:52). Finally, Megan and Dave deconstruct Elizabeth Banks’ CHARLIE’S ANGELS (29:29) reboot before getting into the Martin Scorsese opus THE IRISHMAN (41:03).

In this bonus episode recorded at the Boston Jewish Film Festival, Evan chats with writer/director Dan Schechter about SAFE SPACES (now called AFTER CLASS), the festival’s opening night film. They discuss how the movie, which stars Justin Long, mines quasi-autobiographical material to deftly tackle emotionally complicated subject matter. They also cover Jewish themes in the story, his casting process, what he hopes viewers will take away from the movie, and most importantly, his bagel order.  

This week we start off Catching up with Crean (TM) as he tells Megan and Dave about his experience watching PARASITE (2:52). Then Megan talks about several films IFFBoston’s Fall Focus, including WAVES (7:10), THE TRUTH  (9:48), CLEMENCY (11:29), and PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE (13:50). Then Megan talks about LAST CHRISTMAS (16:09) and Dave fills everyone in on Stephen King’s DOCTOR SLEEP (29:00). Finally, everyone talks about MAKING WAVES: THE ART OF CINEMATIC SOUND (44:55), a documentary about - wait for it - how sound in movies is painstakingly put together.

Before the movies this week Megan and Dave have some questions about an unusual item on Evan’s desk. With their curiosity satisfied, Megan reviews HARRIET (3:58), the epic Harriet Tubman biopic starring the very talented, yet slightly controversial Cynthia Erivo. Next she and Dave cover MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN (20:36), the Edward Norton noir with modern parallels that deserves a better director. Then they all have a blast discussing TERMINATOR: DARK FATE (40:02), the best film in the franchise since T2, because it finally gets what the others were missing: Linda Hamilton.

Evan takes Megan and Dave down Thriller Lane (TM) this week to talk about FRACTURED (2:44), a Netflix movie starring Sam Worthington as a man whose family goes missing at a hospital, and BLACK AND BLUE (10:39), a cop flick about a rookie with conflicting loyalties. One Evan thinks was good, the other…not so good. Then Megan and Dave talk KNOCK DOWN THE HOUSE (26:11), a Netflix documentary about the 2018 U.S. elections, featuring four politicians, one of whom happens to be Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Megan follows that up with another political doc, WHERE’S MY ROY COHN? (40:10), about guess who? Finally, Megan and Dave end on Bong Joon-ho's PARASITE (45:30), a movie that begins in one place and then goes to a very different (and dark!) place. Don’t forget to visit our Patreon page! This week’s exclusive audio is about THE OMEN!

This week it’s all about the joys of vegan dairy products before a zombie-heavy meal. First Megan describes LITTLE MONSTERS (2:36), a charming zombie flick that deftly balances cuteness with dark humor. Then she reviews THE LIGHTHOUSE (11:10), an atmospheric period piece with surprising queer undertones. Next, Evan and Dave cover GARY GULMAN: THE GREAT DEPRESH (16:47), a hilarious HBO comedy special that also bravely discusses mental health. Megan and Evan follow that up with EL CAMINO: A BREAKING BAD MOVIE (26:28), a shockingly captivating and tense film based on the AMC show. After that Dave and Megan gripe about the incredibly disappointing MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL (38:55). To wrap up, it’s back to the undead for ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP, a medium funny sequel that has opinions split between our fair co-hosts.

This week Megan blows Evan’s mind when she reveals some shocking new information to him about corn. Yes, corn. She and Dave kick off the show by reviewing the utterly disappointing MEMORY: THE ORIGINS OF ALIEN (3:35), a behind-the-scenes documentary that repeats all the same old stories about Ridley Scott’s beloved 1979 film. Then Evan and Dave cover Martin Scorsese’s often-overlooked gem THE KING OF COMEDY (14:38), detailing why JOKER is such an unsuccessful attempt to mimic it. Next Dave and Megan review LUCY IN THE SKY (23:42), a movie so frustrating they wish they didn’t have to talk about it. The one positive thing they can agree on though, is that Natalie Portman goes for broke with her performance. Lastly, all three of them delve into the Netflix mini-series UNBELIEVABLE (35:27), discussing why its first episode is so infuriating, while expounding upon why it’s such an important examination of trauma and a satisfying police procedural with tremendous performances by its leads Kaitlyn Dever, Merritt Wev

It’s a new era of Spoilerpiece Theatre as new co-host Megan Kearns joins Evan and Dave! Megan kicks things off this week, talking about five films from the BOSTON WOMEN’S FILM FESTIVAL (5:15). (Of note: There are John Candy, Kevin Bacon, DEAD SNOW, and LAST OF US tangents. That’s right! Tangents return!) Evan talks about the Paul Haggis-Dan Krauss documentary 5B (34:05), and then Evan and Dave team up to talk about JOKER (40:55), the Joaquin Phoenix-starring Joker origin story. Be sure to check out our Patreon page where we talk about some psycho stalker movies!

Yes, you read that correctly - after five years as cohost, Kris is leaving the show, but not before he shares some memories of his wedding with Dave and Evan. Then it's on to the movies! First up, Kris recaps AD ASTRA (17:51), the James Gray film featuring Brad Pitt as an astronaut wrestling with his identity after discovering the true fate of his father. It's worth a watch, even if it's not your kind of movie, and may win you over with its great lead performance, excellent visuals, and good intentions. Then it's ABOMINABLE (29:13), a family movie about a yeti. It's good, and you won't hate yourself if you bring your child/niece/nephew/babysittee to kill a few hours. Dave and Evan close things out with MONOS (39:40), a brutal film about child soldiers that is well made, but fails to resonate beyond its fine performances and excellent score.

Kris is out on his mini-moon this week so guest Charlie Nash joins Dave and Evan to share his results for the meme “Your Gender Studies Thesis.” After they each get a good chuckle sharing the titles of their fictional papers, Evan reviews TALL GIRL (6:57), a Netflix movie about vertically advantaged high schooler that barely scratches the emotional surface of its main character’s life. Then Dave and Evan recount their experience watching RAÚL JULIÁ: THE WORLD’S A STAGE (18:18), a PBS documentary about the late actor that celebrates his talent, his authenticity, and his inspirational status to Latinx performers everywhere. Next Charlie and Dave delve into HER SMELL (28:50), Alex Ross Perry drama starring Elisabeth Moss that explores the life of a rock star in the throes of addiction. Lastly, Evan and Dave cover LATE NIGHT (44:20), the Mindy Kaling comedy that’s funny and poignant without being preachy.

Joining Evan and Dave while Kris prepares for his wedding is friend-of-Spoilerpiece Megan Kearns! She starts things off with a review of VITA & VIRGINIA (3:59), a love story about Vita Sackville-West (Gemma Arterton) and Virginia Woolf (Elizabeth Debicki). Next up Dave and Megan tackle the new release THE GOLDFINCH (14:20), an adaptation of Donna Tartt’s Pulitzer Prize-winning long-ass novel. Then Megan and Evan get to the J. Lo/Constance Wu movie HUSTLERS (40:54), and all three wrap up with UNTOUCHABLE (57:45), the new Hulu documentary about Harvey Weinstein.

This week, we've got a deep dive on one movie and one movie only: IT CHAPTER TWO! The conclusion of 2017's smash hit based on the Stephen King novel is in theaters now, and there's a whole lot of it. Dave, Evan, and Kris look at the movie from a variety of angles, comparing it to its predecessor and weighing its strengths and weaknesses.

This week the guys stumble upon an aggressive new business idea for the Wahlbergs, while discussing a recent event at Evan’s company. After that Kris and Evan briefly revisit three festival movies they reviewed many moons ago on the show (3:33) that are finally available to watch: TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID, LUCE, and TONE-DEAF. They quickly recap the reasons why each is worth watching before Evan delves into FIDDLER: MIRACLE OF MIRACLES (13:24), a delightful documentary about the iconic musical FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. He effectively spoilerpieces Dave and Kris into wanting to see it by sharing its fascinating facts, poignant social commentary, and humorous interviews. Then Dave wraps things up with BRITTANY RUNS A MARATHON (29:30), a funny, well-cast film starring Jillian Bell that he found thoroughly relatable as someone in the process of training for a marathon himself. For bonus commentary – sign up for the Spoilerpiece Patreon so you can hear the guys dissect HIGHLANDER and HIGHLANDER II in this week’s exclusive

It’s a disparate movie line-up on Spoilerpiece this week. Dave starts things off with the music documentaries THE ROLLING STONES OLÉ OLÉ OLÉ!: A TRIP ACROSS LATIN AMERICA (4:51) and RUSH: CINEMA STRANGIATIO (11:54). Then Evan regales Kris and Dave with tales of ST. AGATHA (17:40), one of the grosser movies he’s seen in a while. Finally it’s Kris talking about the new release READY OR NOT (30:43).

This week, returning guest/friend of the show/current Chicagoan Dede Crimmins returns via Skype to give us her top picks from this year's Fantasia Festival in Montreal (3:35). Following that is LUZ (18:30), the German surrealist exorcism/hypnotism flick that everyone should see.  Dede then runs us through SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK (29:14), based on the series of books that scared you silly as a kid. And the good news is, this one is also pretty dang creepy! The episode then closes with our take on tween coming-of-age comedy GOOD BOYS (43:00).

This week Kris recounts the time he couldn’t go to Lenin’s Tomb because it was “closed for inventory,” leaving Evan and returning guest Megan Kearns completely confused. Megan leads off the episode by describing two films she saw recently THEM THAT FOLLOW (4:11), a somber film about religion and snake charming, and THE PERFECTION (10:00), a more engaging movie about classical musicians that takes some fascinating twists and turns before spiraling into body horror. Then Evan shares his experience watching Ari Aster’s MIDSOMMAR (14:05), which may or may not be “an Evan movie.” Lastly, all three of them dissect THE KITCHEN (28:50), a disappointing kitchen-sink crime drama chock full of critical themes about gender, race, and class that it only superficially addresses, and thinly drawn characters whose motivations don’t make any sense.

Stress balls, yay! Also, this week we’re talking SWORD OF TRUST (3:30), a laid back-ish comedy directed by Lynn Shelton, written by Shelton and Mike O’Brien, and starring Marc Maron as a pawn shop owner who happens upon a potentially big money maker. Then it’s the big fuggin’ movie of the week, FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS & SHAW (18:30). Testosterone? You bet. Larfs? Sure. And, of course, kicks in the balls aplenty. Strap in.

This week, Evan's latest psycho stalker recap comes in the form of SECRET OBSESSION (3:43), now available on Netflix. And guess what, it sucks! Then it's Kris and Dave with Quentin Tarantino's latest, ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD (19:36). And guess what, it's great!

This week Spoilerpiece celebrates 5 years of existence! Yay! And of course because it’s a special occasion, the guys hit some technical difficulties, which forced them to re-record the episode. Fortunately they don’t let it get in the way of a good time. Kris is up first to review THE LION KING (3:21), which he describes as more of a reenactment than a remake, mimicking jokes and set pieces without contributing anything new. Then Evan fills him in on FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY (19:20), a funny and charming movie directed by Stephen Merchant about a young British wrestler (Florence Pugh) trying to hack it in the WWE. Then Dave drops in remotely to cover THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING (30:55), a limited release documentary about gender discrimination in the film industry, that hits hard with statistics and interviews featuring just about every important woman in Hollywood (seriously, see it on July 22).

Good news, everyone! Evan watched the Adam Sandler/Jennifer Aniston Netflix flick MURDER MYSTERY (6:03) so you don’t have to! And is it good? Well…it’s not terrible. That’s something. Kris caught the new Dave Bautista/Kumail Nanjiani vehicle (ha) STUBER (18:43), a comedy with better action scenes than comedy scenes. Then it’s time to keep up with the Jensons, as Kris re-watched THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME (30:15) and has some new insight into the opening 15 minutes that kind of drove all three guys nuts. Then in a sort-of Riedel’s recap, Dave talks about Ridley Scott’s SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME (32:35), a forgotten thriller in the director’s canon. Finally, because it’s a slow new-release week, Evan, Kris, and Dave watched Alfred Hitchcock’s TO CATCH A THIEF (37:40), which none of them had seen before. Spoiler alert: Lesser Hitchcock is still pretty fun. Patrons! Thank you for your patronage and don't forget to vote in our poll!