Spoilerpiece Theatre

This week Evan and Kris explain what “Rick Rolling” is to Charlie Nash, who is filling in for Dave. Then all three of them speculate why they think INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE (at 5:28) wasn’t screened for the press before its release. After some discussion about Jeff Goldblum, SAN ANDREAS, and Roland Emmerich disaster movies like 2012, they jump into this week’s films. First up is Nicolas Winding Refn’s THE NEON DEMON (at 13:44), a sick, twisted picture that the guys love, even though it’s fucked up and vile in every sense of the word. Their conversation about a particularly jarring scene involving a dead body allows for a convenient transition into Charlie’s take on SWISS ARMY MAN (at 50:22), a movie where Paul Dano learns to survive on a desert island with Daniel Radcliffe’s farting corpse. Charlie admits that it feels very Sundancey for its story about a nerdy guy trying to get back to a girl, but he is surprised by how much he likes it. Finally, he wraps up with his quick thoughts on MCCABE & MRS. M

On this week’s show Dave explains why a certain French filmmaker is just “too French.” Then Kris and Evan dive into FINDING DORY (at 4:50), a film that hits the lowest bar Pixar sets: it makes you laugh and cry at some point. However the movie didn’t make much of a splash with them, which is why they end up in Tangenttown making comparisons to JOE DIRT and TAKEN 2, in between talking about individual scenes that work well. At least a conversation on the use of baby voice leads to a cute Baby Henry story. Next up, the guys discuss FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF (at 31:04) because of its recent 30th anniversary. They offer their revisionist take on the movie by revealing why Ferris is an arrogant unsympathetic character in an otherwise objectively funny picture. Evan wraps up by sharing his experience seeing THE UNTOUCHABLES (at 44:50) on the big screen for the first time. It’s a lot bloodier than what he remembers from many afternoon viewings on TNT, but he still enjoys its many exciting scenes, and doesn’t hesitate

Spoilerpiece Theatre turns 100 this week, so the guys do something special to thank their fans! Since it’s the 100th episode that also means Dave has finally seen WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY. Does he appreciate it as emphatically as Kris? Find out starting at the 4:00 mark. Next Evan and Kris cover THE CONJURING 2 (at 17:53), a super long James Wan horror movie with a lot of jump scares and a lot of little annoying things that make Evan very angry. After his anger cools, Evan reviews NOW YOU SEE ME 2 (at 42:38), which has some great magic scenes, but a convoluted plot that relies too much on you remembering information from the first movie. Lastly, Kris discusses TALE OF TALES (at 54:54), a messed up Italian anthology film that confuses the heck out of Dave and Evan with its interwoven tales that have no connection. Kris uses the conversation as an opportunity to state his case about why there should be more anthology films and television shows.

This week Kris reveals an ad campaign that makes him irrationally angry. Then it’s onward to four movies! Dave finally watched TENACIOUS D IN THE PICK OF DESTINY (at 4:11), so he’s nervous to talk about with two “D-heads” like Kris and Evan. He shares why it’s objectively not great, while also digging into the parts of it that are fuckin' hilarious. Evan delivers on a promise as well, by reviewing NEW JACK CITY (at 23:24), which he LOVES for its energy and the way its action scenes are shot. He admits that it’s heavy handed with its messaging and inconsistent in tone, however he lauds it for its important social commentary on race and class. After that Kris jumps in to spoilerpiece THE LOBSTER (at 41:04), which he wasn’t expecting to take him for such a ride. It’s framed, paced, and costumed like an awkward Sundance comedy riffing on Wes Anderson, yet more brutal than unrelenting horror movies. Lastly, Evan concludes with POPSTAR: NEVER STOP NEVER STOPPING (at 52:25). This movie by The Lonely Island is mostly

The sad tale of how Dave broke his middle finger inspires a bizarre horror movie premise on this week’s show. Then Evan’s passing joke about GHOSTBUSTERS leads to a discussion about James Rolfe’s boycott of the new version. Once the guys finish explaining why Rolfe (aka the Angry Video Game Nerd) is wrong, they dig into the political documentary WEINER (at 15:30). All three of them share why this film about Anthony Weiner’s failed run for Mayor of New York City captivated them with its tense interactions and impressed them with its inclusion of his wife Huma Abedin’s perspective. After all their Weiner jokes stop making sense, Evan moves on to cover the HBO movie CONFIRMATION (at 39:34), which chronicles the sexual harassment allegations made against Judge Clarence Thomas during his nomination for the U.S. Supreme Court. Although it feels like too much of a made-for-TV movie, Evan argues that it’s an important story that needs to be told (and seen) since it shares Anita Hill’s perspective and exposes the shad

Evan’s late discovery of a Hall & Oates hotline (719-26-Oates) inspires him and Dave to sing some of the duo’s biggest hits at the start of this week’s episode. Once they get that out of their system, Kris takes over for the latest installment of “Keepin’ up with the Jensons,” where he actually defends APOCALYPTO, describes why he didn’t hate X-MEN: APOCALYPSE as much as Bob, and reveals how A FIELD IN ENGLAND prepared him for HIGH-RISE’s use of overt metaphor. After they’re all caught up with Kris, Evan spoilerpieces NEIGHBORS 2: SORORITY RISING (at 18:34) by sharing how this well-paced comedy surprisingly tackles racism and sexism between its outrageous pranks and raunchy jokes. Then everyone reviews THE NICE GUYS (at 36:16) by talking about how similar it is to other Shane Black movies like THE LAST BOY SCOUT. Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe have excellent chemistry and can both be quite funny in it, although it’s a lot of missed opportunities. As Kris says, "Plenty to like, just nothing really to love.

Dave has some stern words for Mother Nature on this week’s show, which features returning guest Bob Chipman. Bob leads off with X-MEN: APOCALYPSE or as Dave calls it, “X-MEN: APOCALYPTO.”  In the process, he discusses how Bryan Singer can’t direct an action scene to save his life and how everything good from the last X-MEN movie happens twice in this one so it’s no longer surprising. Next, Bob and Evan discuss Ben Wheatley’s HIGH-RISE, a dystopian concept film where “everything goes to shit” in completely unsubtle ways. Following their review, Dave delivers his commentary on LOUDER THAN BOMBS, a very male movie about the death of a woman that he describes as a Norman Rockwell piece, if Rockwell dropped acid and got mugged. Finally, Evan covers A BIGGER SPLASH, which is more than just a film about yuppies who hang around a pool. He spoilerpieces Bob and Dave into wanting to see the movie by revealing its sharp humor, its complicated drama, and its unanswered mysteries.

Since Dave can’t make it, guest Sam Cohen joins the guys this week to share a traumatic experience he had while camping. Then he and Kris talk about the films they saw at this year’s IFFBoston, which just wrapped up. They start by discussing THE INTERVENTION, an exceptionally funny film that’s predictable, but great to watch because of how it deals with messy emotions. Soon after, they each reveal their top and bottom picks from the festival: THE ALCHEMIST COOKBOOK, ALWAYS SHINE, BLACK COAT’S DAUGHTER, WEINER, and THE HOLLARS. Following their quick-hit reviews, Evan and Sam spoilerpiece THE INVITATION, a well-directed thriller without much substance in the middle. Kris and Evan close up by spoiling CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR with a review that sounds negative even though they both enjoyed the movie.

Dave shares songs he has sung with Henry’s name in them, which gives Kris the chance to suggest something extremely clever. After that, Kris reveals his strategy for seeing movies at IFFBoston (also happening this week). Then he quickly follows that up with a segment of “Keepin’ up with the Jensons” where he describes how Evan’s spoilerpiecing of GREEN ROOM allowed him to notice impressive things about its storytelling techniques. Talking about GREEN ROOM’s use of animals lets the guys easily move on to KEANU, the film they all saw this week. KEANU has the cutest fucking cat you’ve ever seen, and it covers comedic territory that has been mined before, although it’s very funny thanks to Key and Peele. Plus it has connections to NEW JACK CITY and George Michael that are hilarious. Finally, Evan wraps up by reviewing the Asghar Farhadi picture FIREWORKS WEDNESDAY. This Iranian drama about the difficulties of marriage was such an engrossing piece, that he struggled to break away from it when he had to leave for w

Garfield the cat is a beloved character for some, but not for Dave, as you’ll discover in this week’s episode. He has a bone to pick with Garfield's creator Jim Davis before the show gets underway. After that, the first film on tap is Jeremy Saulnier’s GREEN ROOM, a fucking intense movie about a punk band fighting a group of white supremacists led by Patrick Stewart?! Although Evan is the only one who has seen it, he manages to spoilerpiece Dave and Kris into wanting to watch it ASAP. In discussing this horrifically violent film, the guys diverge into a tangent about other brutal pictures like A SERBIAN FILM, UNFORGIVEN, and brutally long movies like HEAVEN’S GATE. When they get back on track for the week’s second movie, Dave talks about ENTOURAGE, something he watched out of morbid curiosity. Dave shares why it’s a terrible, terrible movie with the dumbest plot he has ever heard in his life. The whole thing has such an effect on him that he even devolves into talking like the guys in the movie. No worries th

A game of “What’s in Evan’s pantry?” turns into quite the conversation about hot dogs and Yankee swaps on this week’s episode. Then Dave offers a correction that leads to another fun game, called “What if Robert Altman directed it?” Kris leads things off by talking about THE JUNGLE BOOK, which looks amazing and has a casual charm to it. Plus it has a death that’s on par with LION KING in terms of “oh fuck…” After that, Evan describes CRIMINAL, a film that’s so zany, he can’t get through it without breaking into giggle fits. Between Tommy Lee Jones playing a neurosurgeon and Kevin Costner’s grunting, you’d be laughing too, trust us. Based on Evan’s account, Kris is absolutely spoilerpieced into wanting to see it. Following that silliness, Kris wraps things up with MILES AHEAD, Don Cheadle’s Miles Davis biopic, that’s not really a biopic. Kris had to Google to figure out what was real, but he appreciates how it doesn't care about sticking to the facts. He just wishes it went a little further with that angle tho

This week Kris takes the floor for his very first segment of “Keepin’ up with the Jensons,” where he fills Evan and Dave in on the remainder of HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS, a movie he started to talk about last week. Kris thinks the film is based on a lot of contrivances, but he forgives them because Sally Field is great in it and director Michael Showalter seems to know exactly what to focus on. Following brief baby poop tangent, Kris also shares his take on PEE-WEE’S BIG HOLIDAY. He agrees with Dave and Evan about it, although he spends a little more time comparing and contrasting it with PEE-WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE, which he also watched. Then the guys dig into HARDCORE HENRY the one movie they all saw this week. Sadly it’s not about Baby Henry, but it is an intense action flick shot entirely in first person. Kris compares it to BRIGHT LIGHTS BIG CITY meets CALL OF DUTY, while Evan says it’s a cross between CRANK and SHOOT EM UP. All three of them admit that it has its entertaining moments and characters (like the

Following a free product plug for one of those mail-in shave clubs, Kris offers a correction from the previous episode. After a few minutes of Dave’s thoughts on BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE, Evan and Kris talk about EVERYBODY WANTS SOME!! Richard Linklater’s movie is bro-ey and says the word pussy a lot, but after its first 30-45 minutes both Evan and Kris really started to enjoy it. Next, Kris describes MIDNIGHT SPECIAL, a film starring Michael Shannon that’s about a kid who is special. It has people talking obliquely in a car, which annoys Kris, although it does have some really inspired sci-fi elements. The conversation leads to a tangent on Michael Shannon’s weird handsomeness, before Dave and Evan dive into PEE-WEE’S BIG HOLIDAY, which is basically PEE-WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE with a smaller budget, better music, and a less insane director. Still, they both dig its humor and find it hilarious. Finally, Kris wraps up with a half review of HELLO MY NAME IS DORIS, a film he wanted to make a prediction on

Dave couldn’t make it at the last minute, so frequent guest Charlie Nash steps in to help out this week. After the guys discuss an idea Kris has for a movie, that he definitely shouldn’t be the one to write, they delve into the zany short film KUNG FURY. Charlie hasn’t seen it, so Kris and Evan convince him to check it out by spoilerpiecing how its hero acquires his kung fu powers. Then it’s up to Evan to describe MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 2, or as he calls it, MY BIG FAT SEQUEL. He’s annoyed by how hypocritical it is, which leads to a tangent about another hypocritical movie: I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU CHUCK AND LARRY. Once he finishes sharing all the reasons why MBFGW2 wasn’t good, all three guys tear into BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE. Charlie describes how it looks like shit (dark, murky, and brown) and explains why Batman and Superman are wrong in their worldviews. Evan craps on it too for its poor direction and editing. Kris is no fan either, but he provides interesting context for the movie in relation t

The guys stumble onto their new band name this week before they talk about Evan’s vacation to LA, which involved lots of decadent eating. After a Garfield tangent, Evan and Kris ponder why so many people seem to get shot in the back during THE DIVERGENT SERIES: ALLEGIANT – Part 1, a story they didn’t realize would be told in two parts. Kris then describes how Jeff Daniels is like his character in THE MARTIAN only evil, and about why he’s “one of those bad guys who has an adjective.” With all the film’s issues, Evan shares why he still prefers the series to THE HUNGER GAMES. Following a tangent about westerns, specifically YOUNG GUNS, the episode transitions into Dave and Evan discussing another 80s movie: WORKING GIRL. Evan has no idea how much Dave loves the film, and is totally unprepared for how well Dave can quote it. The two of them enjoy spoilerpiecing it for Kris with talk about Harrison Ford’s grimace, its memorable lines, and its portrayal of workplace politics.

Evan is galavanting across California on vacation so friend of the show Sean Burns fills in. That’s right! Sean and Dave appear together! And though Sean threatens to set Dave on fire and throw coffee at him, they get on pretty well. On this week’s show, the guys talk about 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE, which is apparently a sequel to CLOVERFIELD. But it’s one of those movies they can’t focus on, so there are a million tangents, most notably into Christopher Lambert and FORTRESS. Then it’s KNIGHT OF CUPS, yet another movie in which Terrence Malick makes women twirl (sigh). Yeah, yeah, it’s hard to be a comedy writer who gets laid a ton. It’s a short distance to James Woods tangents, peeps! Yeezus.

This week the guys talk about bread (yeah, that's right, bread) before Evan shares some BIG news. Then Kris starts things off by talking about ZOOTOPIA, a hard-PG Disney film about racism. His commentary leads to an odd tangent about Tom Selleck and a brief tangent on politics. Afterward, he, Dave, and Evan discuss BILL & TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE, one of their favorite dumb movies. The guys comment on how fast-paced and lean it is with its perfect dialogue, while sharing visual gags and suspect editing they didn't notice in previous viewings. In the process of reviewing it, they delve into BILL & TED'S BOGUS JOURNEY and the BILL & TED cartoon too. In the final part of the show, they express their gripes with this year's Oscars. They also get into lengthy discussions about the Best Original Screenplay category by way of EX MACHINA and the Best Original Song category by way of Sam Smith. Speaking of songs, stick around after the closing credits for Dave's fresh take on a Beatles classic.

This week the guys give you the lowdown on their recording equipment, before Kris shares why the atrocious GODS OF EGYPT left him feeling rattled. Part of it has to do with its 120 minutes of confusing plot and Gerard Butler's mysterious decision to use his Scottish accent. The whole experience left Kris too depressed to chide a fellow theatergoer for using his phone during the picture, so he decides to pass the mic. Next Dave and Evan review TRIPLE 9, a movie that with lots of good killin' and great action. Kate Winslet does a terrible Russian accent, the film is overstuffed with plot, and goes along too long, but Woody Harrelson is amazing, even if he could play his role in his sleep. Finally, the guys fulfill their promise from last episode of revisiting Tim Burton's BATMAN. Dave and Evan go over the massive plot holes, continuity errors, and other various things that bother them from their most recent viewing, although they do take some time to talk about what they still love about the movie in spite of t

This week's episode starts out with a conversation about Prince, where Kris gets real life events spoilerpieced. Then after a very brief review of BABES IN TOYLAND, a Janet Jackson tangent, and singing, the guys address some listener questions that arrived via voicemail and email. Along the way, they stumble into tangents about FORREST GUMP, Vin Diesel, and The Brattle Theatre's owl before they move on to the main event: their review of THE WITCH. All three love its ratcheting sense of dread and how it becomes terrifying, bordering on horrifying in its final act. Plus early, Dave admits that there's a moment in it that makes him feel very uncomfortable as a new dad. Following some differentiation between rabbits and hares, and talk of famous last words in the movie, they all laud THE WITCH for its good direction, great recreation of its time period, and excellent detail. In fact, they spend so much time talking about it, that they don't get a chance to explore Tim Burton's BATMAN, which was also on the agenda

This week Kris starts out by asking Dave an important question about how he intends to handle swearing around Baby Henry as he gets closer to actually understanding bad words. Then Evan laments how bad comedy sequels are when he discusses ZOOLANDER 2. The movie’s jokes about millennials suck and it has dumb mythology, but as a great Kiefer Sutherland, which leads to a Kiefer tangent before Kris and Evan tackle DEADPOOL. Friend of the podcast Sam Cohen didn’t care for it, so Evan and Kris start their review of this very funny fourth-wall breaking comic book film by addressing Sam’s issues. Following a GAME OF THRONES tangent, Kris spoilerpieces THE CANAL, an excellent Irish horror flick that he says is creepy, scary, and keeps you guessing. Evan wraps up by talking about horror as well with SOUTHBOUND, a horror anthology that’s freaky, well-put together, and very cohesive. And in case you missed it in the last episode, we are now on Stitcher, so be sure to subscribe to us there if you don’t have iTunes!