Spoilerpiece Theatre

A whole lot of show for you this week! Kicking things off is Dave with his recaps of the forgettable THE BABYSITTER (3:31), the almost-good THE LITTLE HOURS (10:04), and fantastically cheesy Spaghetti Western MY NAME IS NOBODY (14:11). Then Kris and Dave recount their experience at Coolidge Corner Theatre's Keanuthon (19:42), six Keanu Reeves movies from midnight to noon, ranging from classics (POINT BREAK, SPEED), '90s time capsules (BILL & TED'S BOGUS JOURNEY, JOHNNY MNEMONIC), arthouse trips (A SCANNER DARKLY), and unexpected triumphs (CONSTANTINE). Closing out the episode, all three hosts give an overall solid recommendation for SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME (43:10).

Unclear restaurant hours can really throw a wrench in your morning, as Dave discovered this week. Once he finishes airing his grievances, he thanks Kris for his inspirational review of WAR AND PEACE from the previous episode, and proceeds to rip into Michael Mann’s MIAMI VICE (6:00), which takes the worst elements of the show and translates them into movie form. Next Kris breaks down MIDSOMMAR (15:11), the new film by Ari Aster, writer/director of HEREDITARY. According to Kris, this movie is very different, but also *not* very different from Aster’s previous work (i.e. he dug it). Lastly, everyone digs into ANNABELLE COMES HOME (39:45), a reasonably tense haunted house movie that throws several monsters at the wall to see what sticks. 

This week's episode starts with Evan recapping ALL THAT WE DESTROY (3:48), the latest entry in Bumhouse's INTO THE DARK anthology series. There have been some highs and lows in the series, but this one is unfortunately one of the lowest. Then it's Dave with ECHO IN THE CANYON (13:41), a fun and informative look at the origins of the Laurel Canyon music scene of the 1960s with interviews conducted by Jakob Dylan. Then it's Kris with his experience marathoning WAR AND PEACE (19:54) at the Brattle where he says "big" and "massive" a lot. The episode wraps up with TOY STORY 4 (37:30), which is way more fun, tearjerking, and overall effective than anyone might have expected.

After debating whether Janis Joplin wanted a pizza your heart, Kris, Evan, and Dave get down to the diverse slate of movies this week on Spoilerpiece. First up is festival-favorite THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO (3:50). Then it's SHAFT (16:12), which is not another reboot of SHAFT, but a sequel to SHAFT. Did that make sense? Yeah, SHAFT doesn't either. Then Dave and Evan get into I AM MOTHER (33:45), a new Netflix flick about a robot that may or may not be evil. Then it's ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE (45:48), with Ali Wong and Randall Park.

On this week's episode, Kris sells Dave on BED AND SOFA (3:36) made in the USSR in 1927, and his favorite of his recent dive into classic Russian/Soviet film. It's often described as "scandalous" but it's so much more than that, and well worth your time whether or not you're familiar with the era. Then Dave recaps AMERICAN WOMAN (16:58), a film that can get mired in melodrama but is anchored by good direction from Jake Scott and a phenomenal performance by the underappreciated Sienna Miller. Kris wraps things up with DARK PHOENIX (31:09), which sucks.

On this week's episode, Dave and Kris are joined by our friend, colleague, and returning guest Bob "MovieBob" Chipman! Kicking things off, Dave recaps Olivier Assayas's new film, NON-FICTION (4:10), which if nothing else, is certainly French. Then Bob fills us in on BRIGHTBURN (14:46), the alternate take on superhero origin stories that imagines a Clark Kent-like character as a sociopath and killer. It's essentially a B movie with a big budget and star power, but is interesting enough to seek out. Next up is Kris with Werner Herzog's MEETING GORBACHEV (23:07), which is exactly what it sounds like, and is exactly why you should go see it. Closing out this episode is Bob and Kris barely containing their excitement for GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS (39:41), a drastic improvement on its predecessor that impresses in several ways -- visuals, sound, just the right amount of lore, and putting the focus back on the monsters themselves.

(NOTE: This show opens with the music, so be warned that it's a little louder than usual.) Welcome to a diverse week of movies on Spoilerpiece! As Kris notes, there couldn’t be four more different flicks featured on the show. First, Kris talks a little about WHITE CROW (2:20), which Dave recently saw (and wanted to hear Kris’ opinion), then Dave dives into Olivia Wilde’s feature-directing debut BOOKSMART (7:16) and his interview with Wilde. Then Evan covers EXTREMELY WICKED, SHOCKINGLY EVIL, AND VILE (18:16), the Ted Bundy movie starring Zac Efron and directed by Joe Berlinger (and it features some serious stunt casting). Finally, Kris talks the Disney live-action remake of ALADDIN (32:30) and blue Will Smith. Why is 38 minutes longer than the animated version? Kris tells you why!

Lots of action on the show this week. First up, Kris and Evan talk about Zhang Yimou’s latest, SHADOW (3:30). Plus, they both have tips on how to NOT watch certain types of movies (in this case, action). Then it’s the main event, JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 — PARABELLUM (16:30). First, Evan catches us up on the first two John Wicks (he watched them for the first time over the weekend), and then it’s talk of fightin’ and killin’ as Keanu Reeves more or less turns every assassin in the world into mincemeat. Plus, Kris breaks down whether the linguistics of JOHN WICK hold up.

This week Dave shares why he’s training for the New York Marathon and details his preparations for the big race. Next Evan shares his thoughts on THE INTRUDER (4:00), which he and Shauna watched based on Kris's recommendation. After they delve into nuances and plot holes from the movie, Dave jumps in to review THE WHITE CROW (13:05), a Ralph Fiennes film based on a true story he didn’t realize that he knew until halfway through. Following a JOHN WICK tangent, Kris and Evan tackle POKÉMON DETECTIVE PIKACHU (23:05) aka POKÉMON DETECTIVE, a movie neither thinks is good, but one of them found more egregious. Tune in to find out who and to hear Evan educate Dave and Kris about Pokémon.

This week, Kris kicks things off with THE INTRUDER (3:40), a much-needed breath of trashy fresh air. He had a great time and thinks you might as well. Next up is our recap of IFFBoston, revisiting some of the highlights from Boston's biggest film festival. Included are LUCE (13:55), ASK DR. RUTH (24:43), THE DEATH OF DICK LONG (30:28), ERNIE & JOE (36:07), OFFICIAL SECRETS (44:14), THE NIGHTINGALE (content warning, 54:45), GUTTERBUG (1:02:40), and THE FAREWELL (1:09:19).

It’s Spoilerpiece episode #250! Yay! Thanks for being with us as we reach this sort of arbitrary but still cool milestone! On this week’s show there’s talk of Passover...and then movies! And all three guys have seen the movies on the docket. First, it’s writer-director Laura Steinel's Taylor Schilling-starring FAMILY (5:52), a comedy about a career-focused woman, her niece, and Juggalos. Then it's AVENGERS: ENDGAME (22:26), the final (?) movie in this phase of the Marvel cinematic universe. And yes, we spoil the ever-loving crap out of it. Stay tuned through the closing music to hear a special message from one of our listeners.

This week, Kris and Evan are joined by Nancy Campbell and Brian Tamm of the always spectacular IFFBoston ahead of the annual weeklong festival (April 4 through May 1).  They discuss some of the exciting films, panels, guest appearances, and events of the fest that takes over three of Boston's best theaters: Somerville, Brattle, and Coolidge. It's a celebration of film community, and Nancy and Brian highlight filmmakers from years past who have gone on to helm some of the biggest and best movies of the past decade. Later, we meet back up with Dave, who runs us through his thoughts on LITTLE WOODS (53:38), and we close with Evan's rewatching of THE PRINCE OF EGYPT (1:01:52) ahead of Passover.

Kris has a nasty case of the super plague so guest Kristen Halbert joins Evan and Dave in hating on kale before the movies this week. First Dave describes why watching the Aretha Franklin documentary AMAZING GRACE (3:51) is a spiritual experience. Then Kristen and Evan talk about why LITTLE (11:37) is absolutely hilarious and genuine despite the fact that it borrows from several films about adults turning into the child versions of themselves. Lastly, all three of them join forces for I’M JUST FUCKING WITH YOU (27:45), the latest in Hulu’s INTO THE DARK series, which has them looking for excuses to talk about literally anything else. Tangents ahoy! Also don’t forget to sign up for our Patreon, where you can hear exclusive audio, like this week’s clip of Evan and Dave discussing ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN.

Two new movies on this week's episode: atmospheric horror western THE WIND (3:37) and comedy-superhero flick SHAZAM! (14:21). The former is a bleak commentary on isolation and the fear of nothingness faced by women in the Old West, the latter is a gigglefest that continues DC's upward trend. Check it out!

This week the guys gripe about the MBTA and the weird white cones that have popped up in Evan’s neighborhood – but not for long – because Dave is back in “the studio” and they have a ton of movies to talk about! First, Kris sneaks in a quick review of Tim Burton’s DUMBO (4:15) a movie that tries to tell you what’s fun and fails. Next, Dave and Evan cover JUANITA (7:20) the Netflix film that’s perfectly predictable and nice, although pretty mediocre. After that Dave reviews THE HUMMINGBIRD PROJECT (15:55), which he describes as two-thirds of a good movie with Jesse Eisenberg and Alexander Skarsgard. Finally, they arrive at the main event: this year’s coverage of the Boston Underground Film Festival aka BUFF (25:40). Kris and Evan share their thoughts on a plethora of entertaining films including the delightful documentary HAIL SATAN?, the Boomers vs Millennials horror flick TONE-DEAF, the coming-of-age war-musical KANARIE, the queer Giallo slasher KNIFE + HEART, the creepy ghost tale THE NIGHTSHIFTER, and the

What’s the most highly anticipated movie of the year thus far? Probably Jordan Peele’s US, which, luckily, Kris and Evan saw. Yay! (16:50) Plus, Evan and Dave talk about PADDLETON (4:57), a Netflix film starring Mark Duplass and Ray Romano as best friends who like to play a game they invented, eat pizza, and watch kung fu movies. Then one of them is diagnosed with an incurable illness. Our Patreon exclusive audio this week features Evan talking about AWAKENINGS and BREAKING IN, and then everyone gets into a conversation about bad movie poster tagline (maybe this is becoming a theme).

We've been busy at Spoilerpiece! After doing a not-so-deep dive into the power of cocaine in 1980s rap-rock fusions, Evan, Kris, and Dave get down to what they saw this week. First is Dave with Ricky Gervais’ Netflix series “After Life” (2:32). (Note: Dave makes reference to Mel Gibson’s THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST at about the 11:30 mark, but mistakenly calls it THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST which is Martin Scorsese’s hot take on whether Jesus was a hippie.) At 15:47, Evan covers SURVIVING R. KELLY and LEAVING NEVERLAND, two documentaries about accusations of abuse by R. Kelly (the answer’s in the title) and Michael Jackson. We’re not really a podcast for trigger warnings, but it’s heavy, heavy stuff. Lastly, Kris talks about BORDER (36:30), a Swedish movie about a customs agent who can smell fear, and that’s just the beginning. To end things, the guys have a quick discussion about how to tell non-critics whether to see a particular film (45:40).

This week the guys wonder how the heck RoboCop ended up in a KFC commercial before they tackle the two movies on their docket. First, Kris and Evan review CAPTAIN MARVEL (4:35), the Brie Larson superhero flick that’s a pretty mixed bag. Really it’s no worse than any other mediocre Marvel movie, but they take the time to dissect the good things (like the chemistry between Larson and Samuel L. Jackson), as well as the bad things (like its heavy reliance on momentum-killing exposition). Next, Dave, joins in to cover LORDS OF CHAOS (28:57), an in-your-face film about the Norwegian black metal scene and the rise of the band Mayhem, which lived up to its name. That’s all for the regular show – but if you sign up to support us on our Patreon – you’ll also have the chance to hear exclusive audio of us discussing Evan’s double feature of THE FUGITIVE and U.S. MARSHALS, two very different entries in the same franchise.

Friend of the show Charlie Nash returns to Spoilerpiece! This week kicks off with the highs, lows, and low-lows of this year's Oscars (1:39). The show benefited from no host and some deserving folks got some trophies, but unfortunately ended with the worst Best Picture winner in at least a decade. Then, Charlie takes us through CLIMAX (22:15), a true spectacle from Gaspar Noé. It's everything you expect from the French boundary-pusher, condensed into his most compelling -- and least forgiving -- experiment yet. The gang wraps things up with GRETA (31:20), a campy, trashy good time from Neil Jordan starring the immortal Isabelle Huppert.

In this very special bonus episode, Evan talks with Flash Gordon star Sam Jones and filmmaker Lisa Downs about their documentary LIFE AFTER FLASH, which opened the Boston Sci-Fi Film Festival. His conversation with Sam about the highs and lows of his career covers a range of topics including the value of forgiveness, what it was like opening himself up on camera, and even his preferred ways to workout. Next, his chat with Lisa covers how she met Sam and decided to do the documentary, the things she learned working on a feature-length doc, and how she snagged her memorable interview with Queen member Brian May.