We start the show this week by reviewing Saim Sadiq’s heartbreaking Pakistani drama JOYLAND (2:58), which is about a man (Ali Junejo) from a patriarchal family who becomes a backup dancer at a burlesque club and falls for the strong-willed trans woman (Alina Khan) who runs the show. Next, we cover Daniel Goldhaber’s tense environmental thriller HOW TO BLOW UP A PIPELINE (30:56), which follows a crew of environmental activists who execute a daring plan to disrupt an oil pipeline. And in this week’s Patreon exclusive audio, in honor of its 30th anniversary, we talk about the 1993 sci-fi action film DEMOLITION MAN, starring Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, and Sandra Bullock!
Category Archives: Current releases
TETRIS on Episode #455
Megan is off this week, so Evan and Dave hit the mics to talk TETRIS, the surprisingly tense spy thriller (question mark?) about the fraught negotiations between the Soviet government, Nintendo, a couple crooked English billionaires, and Henk Rogers, a coder-turned-game-inventer-turned-game-company-founder. And yes, the KGB gets involved. Over on Patreon, Evan and Dave disagree about Brian De Palma’s 1981 thriller BLOW OUT (indebted enormously to Hitchcock and Antonioni), and starring John Travolta and Nancy Allen.
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RYE LANE and RODEO on Episode #454
This week, we (Evan, Dave, and Megan) review RODEO (2:06), Lola Quivoron’s emotionally-intense French drama, a fascinating character study starring Julie Ledru as a tough, independent dirt bike rider who becomes a part of a turbulent group of male bikers. Next, we discuss RYE LANE (25:36), Raine Allen-Miller’s charming, witty, and vibrant British rom-com starring David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah as two twenty-somethings dealing with recent breakups and spending the day together in South London. We all recommend both films! And on this week’s Patreon exclusive audio, our women-directed genre films poll winner: Jill Gevargizian’s 2020 horror film THE STYLIST, starring Najarra Townsend and Brea Grant!
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BOSTON STRANGLER, LEAVE, and the 2023 Oscars on Episode #453
This week, we start by sharing our thoughts on the 2023 Oscars (2:47)! Then we review Alex Herron’s intriguing, but not particularly scary horror film LEAVE (16:27), which follows a young woman (Alicia von Rittberg) trying to uncover her origins after she learns she was abandoned in a cemetery wrapped in a blanket with satanic symbols as an infant. Next, we discuss Matt Ruskin’s true crime drama BOSTON STRANGLER (36:52), which follows Loretta McLaughlin (Keira Knightley), the reporter who first connected the murders and broke the story of the Boston Strangler. And in this week’s Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about the 1999 teen rom-com SHE’S ALL THAT, starring Rachael Leigh Cook and Freddie Prinze Jr.!
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SCREAM VI and YOUR PLACE OR MINE on Episode #452
To start this week, we discuss Aline Brosh McKenna’s directorial debut, YOUR PLACE OR MINE (2:13). This Netflix rom-com, which divides us, stars Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher as long-distance best friends who figure out their romantic feelings for each other while she stays in his apartment in NYC for grad school and he takes care of her son back in LA. Next, we review Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s SCREAM VI (30:40), the latest installment in the SCREAM franchise. We’re also divided about this movie, but we can all agree that setting it in the Big Apple was a smart move. And in this week’s Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about Vittorio De Sica’s Italian neo-realist drama BICYCLE THIEVES in honor of its 75th anniversary this year!
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CREED III, THE YEAR BETWEEN, and LA CIVIL on Episode #451
Dave leads off by reviewing Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut, CREED III (2:15), which isn’t as strong as the other films in the CREED series but has a compelling antagonist played by Jonathan Majors. Next, we all discuss THE YEAR BETWEEN (13:45), writer/director/star Alex Heller’s semi-autobiographical dramedy about a college student named Clemence, who moves in with her family after she’s diagnosed with bipolar disorder. It lands with one of us, but two of us aren’t big fans of it. Then we cover Teodora Mihai’s ethically thorny drama LA CIVIL (34:38), which is about a mother (Arciela Ramírez), whose teenage daughter is kidnapped in Northern Mexico and decides to do whatever it takes to get her back. And in this week’s Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about Steven Spielberg’s WWII drama SAVING PRIVATE RYAN in honor of its 25th anniversary this year!
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COCAINE BEAR, LINOLEUM, and THE QUIET GIRL on Episode #450
Megan kicks things off this week with a review of the Elizabeth Banks-helmed COCAINE BEAR (2:54), a grisly and gory, dark comedy about a bear that accidentally ingests cocaine and goes on a murderous rampage. Then, Evan and Dave tackle Colin West’s LINOLEUM (11:44), a frustrating sci-fi drama starring Jim Gaffigan as the host of a failed children’s science show, whose life takes some unsettling turns after he witnesses a bizarre accident. We all wrap up with THE QUIET GIRL (30:42), Colm Bairéad’s heartbreaking Irish drama about a withdrawn girl who thrives while living with relatives for the summer. And in this week’s Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about the winner of our February poll: Nijla Mumin’s 2018 coming-of-age drama JINN!
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RETURN TO SEOUL and SOMEBODY I USED TO KNOW on Episode #449
We kick off the show this week by reviewing Dave Franco and Alison Brie’s surprisingly nuanced romcom SOMEBODY I USED TO KNOW (2:09). It tells the story of a reality show producer (Brie) who returns to her quaint hometown and reconnects with her ex Sean (Jay Ellis), who is engaged to a woman (Kiersey Clemons) that reminds her of the person she used to be. Then, we cover Davy Chou’s RETURN TO SEOUL (25:50), a compelling and layered exploration of identity. It follows a French woman (Park Ji-min) who returns to Korea to experience the country and try to find her birth parents. And in this week’s Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about a Patron’s choice, the 1996 Mike Nichols queer comedy THE BIRDCAGE!
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MAGIC MIKE’S LAST DANCE, ATTACHMENT, and THE OUTWATERS on Episode #448
This week we discuss Gabriel Bier Gislason’s queer Jewish horror film ATTACHMENT (2:51), a smartly-told tale about a Danish woman (Josephine Park) who falls for a Jewish woman (Ellie Kendrick) but discovers some disturbing things after traveling back to London with her. Next, Megan and Dave cover MAGIC MIKE’S LAST DANCE (21: 47), Steven Soderbergh’s mediocre final chapter in the MAGIC MIKE series. Then we review a movie that two of us have a very visceral reaction to — THE OUTWATERS (39:16), Robbie Banfitch’s found footage horror film about a group of friends who get terrorized in the Mojave desert. And in this week’s Patreon exclusive audio, we watch TO LESLIE to find out what all the Oscar fuss is about.
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Download – and don’t forget to follow us on Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Stitcher, or Spotify! Call us at 862-21–PIECE (862-217-4323) or send us an e-mail: spoilerpiece AT gmail.com.
SHOTGUN WEDDING and ERIN’S GUIDE TO KISSING GIRLS on Episode #447
After the past few weeks of watching movies that have made us want to tear our hair out, we finally get a respite. ERIN’S GUIDE TO KISSING GIRLS (3:44) is a sweet teen rom-com that we all found delightful, even if we thought there were some gaps in characterization and story and some uneven performances. (That makes it sound like we didn’t like it; we did.) Then it’s onto SHOTGUN WEDDING, the number one (eek?) movie on Prime. J. Lo is great! But everything else? Hoo boy. And on the Patreon exclusive audio this week, we discuss the 1973 Bruce Lee classic ENTER THE DRAGON. Yay!
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