Spoilerpiece Theatre

We have two movies to discuss this week! First, we cover Bretten Hannam's Two-Spirit Indigenous drama WILDHOOD (2:39), a road trip film coming to Hulu about two brothers, one of whom is searching for his long-lost birth mother. Along the way he finds himself by connecting with his heritage and comes out through a relationship with someone he meets along the way. Next is Phil Tippett's MAD GOD (22:52), an unsettling stop-motion-animated horror film on Shudder that's 30 years in the making. It's easy to describe visually, but hard to describe narratively. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about the winner of our Pride Month poll, Robin Campillo's drama 120 BPM, which chronicles the work ACT UP Paris did in the early 90s to fight the AIDS epidemic.

We open this week with Amanda Micheli's HALFTIME (2:31), a moving Netflix documentary that follows Jennifer Lopez as she reflects on her career and starts to navigate the second half of it, leading up to her halftime performance at the 2020 Super Bowl. Next, we discuss Sophie Hyde's GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE (22:56), a poignant dramedy about a widow (Emma Thompson) who hires a sex worker (Daryl MacCormack) to help her expand her sexual horizons. We wrap up with Cooper Raiff's CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH (44:11), a charming dramedy about recent college grad who strikes up an unlikely friendship with a mother and her autistic daughter while he's working as a Bar/Bat Mitzvah party starter. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about the winner of our Studio Ghibli poll, Hayao Miyazaki's 1989 film KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE!

We have two movies for you this week! First, we discuss Sarah Appleton and Phillip Escott's film THE FOUND FOOTAGE PHENOMENON (3:34), a Shudder documentary about found footage horror that contains some fascinating insights on the subgenre, but can also be tedious. Second, we review CHIP 'N DALE: RESCUE RANGERS (27:32), Akiva Schaffer's extremely disappointing Disney+ mashup of animation and live action starring Andy Samberg and John Mulaney. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about Jonathan Demme's zany 1986 film SOMETHING WILD starring Jeff Daniels, Melanie Griffith, and Ray Liotta! 

We start this week by reviewing Chloe Okuno's WATCHER (3:36), a smart horror movie about gaslighting that focuses on a woman (Maika Munroe) living in a new country who is being stalked by a serial killer. Then we discuss Andrew Ahn's queer rom-com FIRE ISLAND (23:02), a joyous gay riff on Jane Austin's "Pride and Prejudice" starring Joel Kim Booster and Bowen Yang. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about Charles Laughton's 1955 film noir THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER starring Robert Mitchum and Shelley Winters! 

We start this week by reviewing Jerrod Carmichael's directorial debut ON THE COUNT OF THREE (1:43), a dark comedy/drama about two best friends (Carmichael and Christopher Abbott) trying to make the most of the last day of their lives. Next, we cover Aaron and Adam Nee's goofy rom-com THE LOST CITY (19:43), which stars Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum as a romance novelist and her cover model who end up on a jungle adventure. We wrap up with Sam Raimi's DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS (32:19), a Marvel movie that's a frustrating mixed bag. And on this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we're talking about David Cronenberg's 1981 sci-fi horror film SCANNERS, which is technically the runner up in our body horror poll. 

Megan is back from vacation so the whole Spoilerpiece team is together again! She and Evan start by reviewing Keith Thomas's FIRESTARTER (3:35), a remake of Stephen King's famous story, which they both agree and disagree about. Next, everyone covers Stefan Forbes's HOLD YOUR FIRE (15:51), a disappointing documentary about a 1972 crisis in New York City that helped create modern hostage negotiation teams and techniques. They wrap up with Carey Williams's EMERGENCY (37:49), an engaging dark comedy that offers poignant social commentary as three college students of color weigh the pros and cons of calling the police when they encounter an unexpected emergency. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about Garry Marshall's 1990 rom-com PRETTY WOMAN starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. 

The pandemic ain't over folks. Dave has COVID and it sucks but he does his best to manage it in this week's episode. Megan's on vacation again, so he and Evan tackle two movies. First up is Lisa Hurwitz's documentary THE AUTOMAT (3:26), a short, but interesting chronicle of the once-popular restaurant chain in New York City and Philadelphia that offered fresh-cooked meals in a commissary-style eatery. Next, they discuss Eskil Vogt's disturbing horror film THE INNOCENTS (19:07), which is about a group of children who develop dark powers that they wield against each other and the adults around them. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, Evan and Dave talk about Elaine May's 1976 crime drama MIKEY AND NICKY, starring Peter Falk and John Cassavetes!

Megan is on vacation this week so Evan and Dave are joined by Dan and Chris from the podcast Film Trace! They're only talking about one movie, but that's because there's a lot to say about the Daniels' latest film EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE. They dig into this bonkers sci-fi action adventure comedy, discussing its hilarious absurdity, its incredible performances, its terrific editing, stunning special effects, and more. Plus, on this week's Patreon exclusive audio, which is open to everyone for one week, Chris and Dan join Evan and Dave to talk about Robert Aldrich's 1962 thriller WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford! 

Hi gang! Evan is on vacation so Megan and Dave hold down the fort. They start things off with the Nicolas Cage comedy "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent" (2:41), a very silly romp through a weekend in the star's fictionalized life. Then it's "The Aviary" (14:54), a tense psychological drama about two women trying to escape a cult. Finally, they talk about "FireBird" (30:50), a based-on-a-true-story movie about a young soldier who embarks on a clandestine affair with a charismatic fighter pilot on a Soviet Air Force Base at the height of 1970s Communist rule. Over on the Patreon, Megan and Dave talk about the 1979 Disney cult classic (question mark?) "The Black Hole." It's available for $5-and-above patrons, along with more than 200 other bonus episodes. And just a reminder: There's no April poll, but there will be TWO polls in May. 

Megan and Dave start this week by reviewing the Robert Eggers Viking revenge tale THE NORTHMAN (1:55), which they disagree about in a lot of places. They can at least agree Nicole Kidman is amazing in it. Next everyone discusses Gustavo Hernández's horror film VIRUS: 32 (23:31), which puts a very specific and interesting spin on its zombie narrative. Then we're excited to finally cover Jon Watts's SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME (39:38), digging into everything that we love and everything we find annoying about it. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we review the 1992 Penelope Spheeris comedy WAYNE'S WORLD, starring Mike Meyers, Dana Carvey, Tia Carrere, and Rob Lowe.

Evan kicks things off this week by reviewing Alessio Rigo de Righi and Matteo Zoppis' THE TALE OF KING CRAB (2:57), an Italian adventure film split in two parts with one that's much more interesting than the other. Next, everyone reviews Sam Jones' HBO documentary TONY HAWK: UNTIL THE WHEELS FALL OFF (11:42), a comprehensive film about the life and career of skateboarder Tony Hawk, which has us split. We wrap up with Jane Schoenbrun's horror film WE'RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD'S FAIR (30:39), a spooky, ambiguous film about a teen who plays an online horror game and documents the strange changes she goes through afterward. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about Gareth Evans' 2011 Indonesian action flick THE RAID aka THE RAID: REDEMPTION!

We kick things off this week with Charlie McDowell's slow-burn character study WINDFALL (3:11), which is about a man (Jason Segel) who breaks into a tech billionaire's empty vacation home, but has to radically change his plans when the mogul and his wife (Jesse Plemons and Lily Collins) unexpectedly arrive. Next, we review Eva Husson's MOTHERING SUNDAY (21:31), a decades-spanning drama starring Odessa Young about grief and loss in the wake of WWI, which features a LOT of nude scenes. Then we cover Janus Metz's ALL THE OLD KNIVES (40:54), a messy spy thriller starring Chris Pine and Thandiwe Newton whose title also happens to rhyme with a Blink 182 song. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we review Christopher Winterbauer's 2022 HBO Max sci-fi rom-com MOONSHOT! 

We start by discussing this year's Oscars, particularly the winners, the snubs, and our overall thoughts on the program. Then Dave and Evan review the Roshan Sethi's rom-com 7 DAYS (11:49), about a mismatched Indian-American couple (Karan Soni and Geraldine Viswanathan) who start out on a traditional pre-arranged date and have to shelter in place together once COVID spreads. Next, we all tackle the latest SCREAM movie (21:55), a meta horror flick that has us split. After that we cover Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of the Agatha Christie murder mystery DEATH ON THE NILE (42:19), another film that has us divided. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about the winner of our women-directed films poll, Susan Seidelman's 1985 dramedy, DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN, starring Rosanna Arquette and Madonna!

As promised, we're going to start featuring more guests on the show, so this week Jason from Binge Movies joins us! After he briefly shares what his podcast is all about, we all review Ti West's X (7:17), a horror movie about an adult film crew in 1970s rural Texas who are attacked by their elderly hosts, starring Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Brittany Snow, and more. A lot of critics have unabashedly praised this film, but we have both compliments and criticism in our robust, nuanced conversation of the well-crafted yet problematic film. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, Jason also joins us to discuss Robert Zemeckis' 2000 thriller WHAT LIES BENEATH starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford!  Get Your Spoilerpiece Merch Join Our Patreon

We're back to business as usual this week, starting with MEASURE OF REVENGE (3:02), an atrocious, amateurish thriller starring Melissa Leo as an unhinged stage actress seeking revenge for her son's murder. Then we review Domee Shi's moving Pixar film TURNING RED (18:49), which uses a Chinese Canadian girl's magical transformation to deftly explore the struggles of puberty. After that we cover Adrian Lyne's disappointing "erotic" thriller DEEP WATER (36:38), starring Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas as a vindictive, dysfunctional couple coming apart at the seams. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about RETURN OF THE JEDI!  Get Your Spoilerpiece Merch Join Our Patreon

It's our 400th episode of Spoilerpiece Theatre, so we've cooked up something extra special for you, Spoilerpeeps! After some thank yous and very special announcements (hello Spoilerpiece merch), original Spoilerpiece co-host Kris Jenson stops by (16:00) to talk about Fred Zinnemann's 1952 Western, HIGH NOON from the AFI Top 100 list! Then we have previous guests and friends of the show stop by to talk about spoilers in some of their favorite films. We chat with Max Covill from It's the Pictures (49:03), Andy Crump (56:32), Dede Crimmins (65:48), Charlie Nash from Almost Major (1:12:31), J.C. from Screen Fix (1:21:24), Kristen Halbert (1:34:44), and The Lady-Wan from ScreenRun (1:49:15). And if that wasn't enough, this week's Patreon bonus audio, where we talk about Robin Hardy's 1973 horror film THE WICKER MAN is available for everyone to hear!

This week we start with Mimi Cave's FRESH (2:39), a horror movie starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan that made one of us so queasy they had to turn it off. Next, we review THE DESPERATE HOUR (27:27), Philip Noyce's frustrating thriller about a mother (Naomi Watts) trying to resolve a hostage crisis at her son's school from her phone while she's running through the woods. We close with Matt Reeves' much anticipated movie THE BATMAN (37:55), a stylish film noir detective story worthy of its almost three-hour runtime. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about Guillermo del Toro's 2006 dark fairytale, PAN'S LABYRINTH!  

It's a suspenseful week on Spoilerpiece with two horror films and a thriller. First up is John Adams, Zelda Adams, and Toby Poser's creepy family-made horror flick HELLBENDER (2:12), which is about a lonely teen uncovering her family's connection to witchcraft. Next is BJ McDonnell's STUDIO 666 (19:14), a horror comedy about the Foo Fighters trying to record their 10th album in a haunted mansion. Then we review Steven Soderbergh's thriller KIMI (39:25), starring Zoë Kravitz as an agoraphobic Big Tech employee who stumbles onto a conspiracy. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about the winner of our poll, Gina Prince-Bythewood's 2000 romance LOVE & BASKETBALL, starring Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps!

This week we have strong opinions about all the movies we cover. First up, is Josephine Decker's THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE (1:43), a surreal romance none of us could stand about a teen coping with the death of her older sister. Next, we cover Kentucker Audley and Albert Birney's colorful sci-fi romance STRAWBERRY MANSION (19:08), a story that's stylized and smart, but becomes way too weird for one of us. Lastly, we review A BANQUET (30:50), Ruth Paxton's tense psychological horror film, which we all agree falters in one key area. And in honor of Black History Month, this week we talk about Spike Lee's biopic MALCOLM X starring Denzel Washington for our Patreon exclusive audio! 

We start the show by offering our brief reactions to this year's Oscar nominations, which were released this week. After that we review Disney's ENCANTO (6:39), a heartwarming animated tale about a magical Colombian family, which features incredible songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Next, we dig into Guillermo del Toro's stylish, yet long film noir NIGHTMARE ALLEY (25:44), which has us split. Then we discuss Kat Coiro's delightful rom-com MARRY ME (40:09), a film about nice things happening to nice people, starring Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about Greg Berlanti's 2018 queer teen rom-com, LOVE, SIMON!