Spoilerpiece Theatre

Evan is sunning himself on a beach somewhere - or maybe not. But he’s in Florida, which means he’s warmer than Kris and Dave. And that means there’s a special guest filling in, friend-of-the-show Greg Vellante! After a brief discussion about why Greg works seven full days a week, he breaks down the latest Liam-Neeson-kills-people-in-January movie THE COMMUTER (6:03). Kris lets everyone know how’s he’s doing with his Letterboxd account, and then they’re into tha main event: Paul Thomas Anderson’s PHANTOM THREAD, starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Vicky Krieps. One word of advice: See it on film if you have the opportunity.

After discussing the trailer for the upcoming TRUTH OR DARE and a rumored long-lost Clint Eastwood movie, Evan, Kris, and Dave get down to answering some questions posed by a listener about Quentin Tarantino and rumors of his possible attachment to a new STAR TREK movie (5:00). Then they answer more questions and Kris fills the guys in on his return to letterboxd.com (15:45). Finally, it’s off to the main event, the new Leigh Whannel-written INSIDIOUS: THE LAST KEY (18:30), and what the hell it all means in the context of the INSIDIOUS series. Stay warm, New England.

Happy almost New Year dear listeners! This week, after Kris reveals the very painful way he thinks Dave can fix a messed up shoulder, Dave agrees with Charlie Nash’s commentary on MOLLY’S GAME (5:26) from the previous episode. Next the guys talk about holiday films (7:35) they watched like A CHRISTMAS STORY, MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET, EMMET OTTER’S JUG-BAND CHRISTMAS and CASABLANCA. Then they move onto their main event (16:00), a deep dive into their ballots for the Boston Online Film Critics Association’s annual awards. The guys each share their top 10 films from the year, while also debating the merits of their favorite performances, directors, screenplays, editing, cinematography and scores, which include work in movies never-before discussed on the show.

This week, friend of the show (and the hosts!) Charlie Nash returns to the guest seat in Dave's absence. The first review of the night is Evan and Charlie with MOLLY'S GAME (3:38), Aaron Sorkin's directorial debut. The famed writer of A FEW GOOD MEN, THE WEST WING, and THE SOCIAL NETWORK, known for his tight and layered dialogue, would have benefited from applying the same discipline to his camerawork and pacing, as a worthwhile story with good performances gets buried under its own weight (and penchant for mansplaining). Next up is Charlie with a captivating recap of CALL ME BY YOUR NAME (28:15), Luca Guadagnino's coming of age tale love story starring Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer. It boasts lush visuals and a deep exploration of discovering sides of ourselves we neither understand how to express nor contain. Wrapping things up is THE POST (48:44), Steven Spielberg's latest masterpiece -- yes, it really is -- about the publishing of the Pentagon Papers. With a top-notch cast and a clear understanding o

This week Kris, Evan, and Dave are joined by their good friend and fellow BOFCA member Tim Estiloz for a spirited discussion of I, TONYA (5:52), the Tonya Harding biopic with Margot Robbie as figure skater Harding. Tim, a former professional ice skater and current news/film reporter-type, brings a unique perspective to the discussion and offers some insight on the real Harding’s skills. Then the guys get into STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI (38:12). Yes, we give everything away (like always), but THE LAST JEDI is so much fun no spoilers could actually spoil it.

We kick off this week's Spoilerpiece with a Crewind -- also known as Evan Can Wait and God Save the Crean -- in which Evan recaps his experiences with LOGAN (eh), BATTLE OF THE SEXES (good), and LAST FLAG FLYING (wow) (4:02, 9:30, 15:29 respectively). Next up is Dave with THE DARKEST HOUR (20:11), in which Gary Oldman portrays Winston Churchill in the earliest days of Britain's involvement in World War II. It's a bit of a recitation of well-established facts, but Oldman doing anything can never be totally boring, making this a mixed bag. Last up is all three guys with Guillermo del Toro's THE SHAPE OF WATER (32:11). If you like del Toro, you know what to expect. If you don't, well, you also know what to expect, only moreso.

After Evan tells Kris and Dave about his exploding sofa cushions, they delve into the week’s movies. First there’s THE DISASTER ARTIST (6:30), the absolutely wonderful making-of-THE-ROOM movie directed by James Franco and starring Franco as Tommy Wiseau and his brother Dave Franco as Greg Sestero. Then there’s Sean Baker’s THE FLORIDA PROJECT (22:07), which all three guys saw and have lots of opinions about.

On this week's episode, Dave and Kris are still in the process of recovering from various plagues (Apologies for the occasional coughing!), but that doesn't slow them down from getting to the bottom of this week's releases. First up is Kris with an installment of Keepin' Up with the Jensons, revisiting THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER (4:50). Rather than rehash the plot, Kris ponders the point of it all, with some unsatisfying conclusions. Next up, Evan walks through ROMAN J. ISRAEL, ESQ. (9:24), the new film from NIGHTCRAWLER director Dan Gilroy featuring Denzel Washington and Colin Farrell. It's not necessarily a bad film and it boasts some fine performances, but it ultimately suffers from a terminal case of not having a firm grasp on its own point, leading to an uneven tone and baffling plot twists. Last up is Dave and Kris with COCO (30:09), the new Pixar film guaranteed to make you cry. It's a delight to behold that is gorgeous and heartfelt despite some issues of predictability, and is a welcome addition to

This week our good friend and co-host Kristofer Jenson is sidelined by the plague, so honorary fourth member Sean Burns fills in. He gets things started off (3:40) with a special guest segment, “Burned Out with Sean Burns,” in which he tells Dave and Evan what he thinks of THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI. Evan follows things up with IN BETWEEN and KEEP THE CHANGE (8:50), which are showing at the Boston Jewish Film Festival. Then Sean and Dave weigh in on Richard Linklater’s LAST FLAG FLYING (18:00), the spiritual sequel to THE LAST DETAIL. Finally, it’s superhero time as Evan and Dave discuss JUSTICE LEAGUE (28:55) and Sean more or less correctly guesses the plot even though he hasn’t seen it.

Big week at Spoilerpiece! Lotsa movies. Evan fills us in on the Boston Jewish Film Festival (3:45) with the four shorts (JOIN THE CLUB with Ari Graynor, WIG SHOP with Emily Mortimer, BLACK SWELL with Richard Kind, and THE CHOP, about a Jewish butcher who gets a job in halal shop), and one feature (WINTER HUNT) he watched in anticipation of the festival’s run from November 8-20. Dave follows at 17:20 with Frances McDormand in THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI, which he characterizes as one of the best films of 2017. Next up is Kris and Dave with Kenneth Branagh’s MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS at 30:00. Lastly, all three guys saw Greta Gerwig’s masterful LADY BIRD and take turns gushing about how much they love it.

This week starts with Dave's recap of the all-night Halloween Marathon at Brookline's Coolidge Corner Theatre (2:30) featuring some of the best in classic zombie flicks. Next up, Kris recounts his spooky double feature, LET'S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH and MESSIAH OF EVIL (16:09), both of which are great slices in 1970s weirdness. Dave runs us through THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER (28:32) and does not buy into the hype. Dave and Evan team up for LBJ (34:39), the latest take on the president with a complicated legacy. Last up, all three talk about the surprisingly delightful THOR: RAGNAROK (44:37) from Taika Waititi.

This week the guys reminisce about long-gone insults of yesteryear before Kris offers a unique barb of his own design. For the movies, Evan delivers a “Crewind” of G.I. JANE (5:00), the Ridley Scott picture where Demi Moore is a badass Navy SEAL in training trapped in a story that gets a little muddled with conspiracy plots. Next Dave covers TOO FUNNY TO FAIL (17:17), a rollicking documentary on Hulu about the short-lived DANA CARVEY SHOW that explains that the inspiration for some of the show’s best sketches while reflecting on its failure. Then the guys take on SUBURBICON (28:35), a George Clooney film that borrows an old Coen Brothers script, but fails to imitate them effectively. While they chide it for being too heavy-handed and trying to cover too much narrative ground, they can all agree that Oscar Isaac injects much-needed vitality into his brief scenes.  

This episode begins with epic tales of Dave's film school smoking habits, which were quite epic. Then it's on to the main event, where Kris tells of his recent Netflix adventures with BIG MOUTH (5:45), the new animated show featuring Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Jessi Klein, and a host of guest stars. It cuts deep with the preadolescent awkwardness, but it's worth your time. Next up is THEY LOOK LIKE PEOPLE (11:35), an atmospheric, psychological horror film about two friends: one who is having a slow psychotic break where he can't trust anything he sees or hears, and the other whose entire existence is a facade erected to protect his insecurity. It's great, and Kris convinces Dave and Evan to see it right away. Last up is ONLY THE BRAVE (32:37) a true-ish story about the Granite Mountain Hotshots, whose heroism deserves a much more thoughtful, intelligent, and coherent movie than the one they got.

Evan, Kris, and Dave are joined by special guest (and Evan's fiancee) Shauna Harris! As a practicing attorney, she sits in to expound on MARSHALL (34:06), the new biopic about the first African-American Supreme Court justice (before he was on the Supreme Court) Thurgood Marshall. Before that, Evan and Shauna Crewind to RAW (18:15), the 2016 flick about French-Belgian cannibals, which, we're not ashamed to say, leads to "Cannibalismpiece Theatre" at 31:09, when the gang names a bunch of let's-eat-people movies. But to kick things off, Kris relays his feelings about THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE (4:23) in a fresh segment of "Keeping up with the Jensons," and Dave waxes philosophic (not really) about LUCKY (9:48), the last movie Harry Dean Stanton appeared in before his death in September.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrsUOmKlAzI

This week Dave reveals something he feels like he has done right as a parent before any movies are discussed. Since Kris caught VICTORIA AND ABDUL (3:09), he leads off by explaining why Dave is right about it, before expressing some insights of his own. After that, Evan covers the Online New England Film Festival (6:02) by sharing the festival’s award winners and some of his favorite shorts. Next, Dave talks about David Lynch’s DUNE (13:52), raising several questions, including, ‘Who thought it was a good idea to let Toto do the score?’ Following this “Riedel’s Recap,” Kris spoilerpieces the Netflix film GERALD’S GAME (23:08), getting into grisly detail about why it made him want to throw up. Finally, Dave and Evan review the week’s big movie BLADE RUNNER 2049 (44:35) by discussing its atmosphere, aesthetic, and length in comparison to Ridley Scott’s original.

This week begins with a discussion of bad movies, and why video game adaptations are particularly egregious. Evan then kicks things off with a recap of his experience at Somerville Theatre's 70mm Festival, featuring THE DARK CRYSTAL (4:47). The Crewind continues with Evan's "Triple Cruise" where he watched two classics -- RAIN MAN (11:30) and the under-recognized DAYS OF THUNDER (15:17), before being joined by Dave to dissect AMERICAN MADE (21:55). The short version: it's awesome. Dave then Spoilerpieces no one into wanting to see VICTORIA & ABDUL (37:35), the latest example that director Stephen Frears should take it easy on the aristocracy for a while. It's finely made with a great turn by Eddie Izzard, but totally familiar. Last up, Dave and Kris are excited to talk about the many victories of BATTLE OF THE SEXES (42:02), both in the narrative and the filmmaking. It's good, funny, thoughtful, and entirely necessary.

This week the guys talk about the wacky world of Colorado marijuana dispensaries before they delve into three very different movies. Dave and Kris lead off with STRONGER (3:18), the David Gordon Green/Jake Gyllenhaal film about one man’s struggle to overcome the trauma of losing his legs in the Boston Marathon Bombing, while he deals with the pressure of living in the public eye. Then Evan reviews YEAR BY THE SEA (30:38), a tale about an older woman who finds herself by moving to Cape Cod. And last, but certainly not least, all three guys discuss MOTHER! (42:49), the polarizing Darren Aronofsky picture that they have completely different opinions about.  

We have a bumper crop of movies on this week's show (have we used that description before?)! First, it's a bout of RIEDEL'S RECAPS, with James Bridges' BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY (3:57) and John McTiernan's THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (10:03). Then we're KEEPING UP WITH THE JENSON's and his take on MEMINO (14:32) (not to be confused with MEMENTO or former Boston mayor Tom Menino). Evan takes one for the team and watches REBEL IN THE RYE, which is NOT about Rebel Wilson, but J.D. Salinger (27:00). Then it's THE WOMEN'S BALCONY (36:02), an Israeli film that Evan missed at the Boston Jewish Film Festival but is making up for it now. Lastly, it's AMERICAN ASSASSIN (42:33), which Kris and Dave saw together against their better judgment (Evan took a pass - kudos to him).

This week the guys marvel at technology’s ability to be accidentally stupid before they discuss movies. Kris starts off the show with a segment of “Keepin’ Up with the Jensons” where he describes his experience watching TWIN PEAKS (3:06), before he reviews GOOD BURGER (7:46), a super 90s movie starring Kenan (Thompson) and Kel (Mitchell), he found charming, funny, and very inoffensive. Next, Dave reviews THE TRIP TO SPAIN (19:50), the third installment in Michael Winterbottom’s travel-themed series, which has a lot fewer impressions and very confusing ending. Then the guys arrive at their main event, IT (30:05), the big screen adaptation of Stephen King’s famous novel that’s creative and creepy with a great cast and special effects, even if it does have some flaws. Stay tuned after the credits for a bonus conversation from this week.

This week the guys explore ideas for new expletives that are safe to use around children before they dig into the movies. Since it’s the end of August, there aren't as many to discuss, although they do have a couple of recaps and two new releases, as well as some fun tangents in between. First, Dave recaps THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE (3:32), a Boston gangster movie from the 70s with Robert Mitchum that was actually shot in the city. Following a tangent on another Boston movie, THE DEPARTED, Evan Crewinds everyone to the 80s with REAL GENIUS (15:08), a cute comedy that causes the guys to wish Val Kilmer could be their college roommate too. Then all three guys review I DO…UNTIL I DON’T (24:36), the disappointing sophomore effort by Lake Bell, which has some sweet moments, and some misguided ideas about documentaries. Lastly, Evan and Dave spoilerpiece CROWN HEIGHTS (43:09), a wrongful conviction film that showcases great performances and makes excellent points about the American criminal justice system, but feel