Category Archives: Current releases

03.23.18
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PACIFIC RIM UPRISING and UNSANE with a smidgen of Boston Underground Film Festival preview Episode #193!

A robot from Pacific Rim Uprising.

PACIFIC RIM UPRISING swaps Idris Elba for John Boyega and Guillermo del Toro for Steven S. DeKnight. The results are so-so.

Hey gang! It’s a big week on Spoilerpiece! Before our awesome theme music kicks in, Evan, Kris, and Dave have a big announcement about the new Spoilerpiece Patreon! (Cue music?) But before launching into this week’s flicks, Dave asks that you please please PRETTY GODDAMN PLEASE go to his Twitter page and vote for “Chronological Coens” or “Chronological Cronenberg” (3:37). And yes, that means he’ll watch the Coen brothers’ movies from BLOOD SIMPLE to HAIL CAESAR! or STEREO to MAPS OF THE STARS, depending on which you choose, dear listeners. Poll closes at roughly 5 p.m. ET Friday, March 23, 2018. As for the big movies this week, it’s Steven Soderbergh’s UNSANE (9:38), which Kris and Dave more or less agree on with one important difference. Then everyone talks PACIFIC RIM UPRISING (35:03), the next chapter in the PACIFIC RIM series. Plus, Kris and Evan talk a little bit about the upcoming Boston Underground Film Festival (31:06)! Stay tuned after the closing music for (very) brief silliness.

Listen:



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03.16.18
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TOMB RAIDER, VERONICA (HORROR!), and 7 DAYS IN ENTEBBE on Episode #192

Alicia Vikander poised to fire an arrow in TOMB RAIDER.

Alicia Vikander is great, but TOMB RAIDER is not.

Hello from snowy Boston, MA! This week’s show begins with the very solid VERONICA (3:40), a horror movie from Paco Plaza, director of REC. It’s on Netflix now and people are buzzing about its atmosphere and terrifying set pieces. They’re mostly right, according to Kris, except that the scares stop halfway through once you become invested in the story in its own right. Next up, Dave saw 7 DAYS IN ENTEBBE (21:54), a new thriller based on a true story involving Israel, Uganda, and a hijacked plane. Despite a few interesting side characters, there’s nothing keeping ENTEBBE in the air. Last up is TOMB RAIDER (33:08), starring Alicia Vikander in the role of Lara Croft. She’s great, as are other members of the cast, but the movie around her is not for its go-nowhere plot, strange self-contradictions, and pointlessly preposterous twist.

Listen:



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03.09.18
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The Oscars and A WRINKLE IN TIME with guest Kristen Halbert on Episode #191

Oprah in A Wrinkle in Time

Oprah the All-Powerful is fantastic in Disney’s A WRINKLE IN TIME.

Things are a bit different this week at Spoilerpiece as technical glitches force us to employ some improvised recording methods, so please excuse any changes in pacing/audio quality! Dave couldn’t be here, so Evan and Kris are joined by special guest critic Kristen Halbert of Forces of Geek, who describes some rather unique experiences at Comic-Con. Kris fell short of his goal to watch everything nominated for an Oscar in every category — 51 out of 59 films — and gives his thoughts on some of the categories he felt were a bit off (5:23). Then it’s on to the main event, A WRINKLE IN TIME (14:02), Ava DuVernay’s valiant and heartfelt attempt to adapt the unadaptable and beloved novel by Madeleine L’Engle. All three hosts were touched in some way, and though it occasionally suffers from odd pacing and other issues, it can be quite dazzling and powerful when it works. A definite see!

Listen:



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And of course, for your viewing pleasure, Evan and Kris sharing a microphone after some technical difficulties.

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03.02.18
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RED SPARROW, MUTE, and ROMAN J. ISRAEL, ESQ. on Episode #190

Jennifer Lawrence wearing red in RED SPARROW.

J-Law looking like Dave and Kris felt after seeing her latest movie RED SPARROW.

After some discussion of weather, moods, and major singing in the cold open, the guys get down to tha movies. ROMAN J. ISRAEL, ESQ. is the focus of this week’s installment of “Keeping Up with the Jensons” (3:59). (Kris is trying to see all the Oscar nominees before Academy Awards ceremony.) Then Evan regales everyone with his breakdown of MUTE (12:39), Duncan Jones’ new weirdo flick starring Alexander Skarsgård as a mute guy trying to find his girlfriend. Note: Paul Rudd is the heavy in this one. Lastly, Kris and Dave talk about RED SPARROW (27:30), the new Jennifer Lawrence/Francis Lawrence collaboration with an ending you should see coming, but the preview audience was totes surprised.

Listen:



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02.23.18
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GAME NIGHT, THE LEISURE SEEKER, LOVING VINCENT, THE BOSS BABY, and PACIFIC HEIGHTS on Episode #189

JASON BATEMAN as Max and RACHEL McADAMS as Annie lay in the middle of the street in GAME NIGHT.

Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams take cover in the surprising action comedy GAME NIGHT.

Hello there! On this week’s episode, Evan and Dave run us through quintessential early ’90s psycho stalker flick PACIFIC HEIGHTS (5:04) that lets Keaton be Keaton. Next up, Dave unleashes his disdain for the pointless and needlessly infuriating THE LEISURE SEEKER (17:19), which thankfully no one is going to see anyway. Then it’s on to Kris, who watched two films nominated for Best Animated Feature, THE BOSS BABY (24:41) and LOVING VINCENT (30:48). He hated one and tolerated the other. Guess which is which — then flip that guess, and that’s the correct answer. Last up is the main event, GAME NIGHT (33:55), which has massively undersold just how funny and exciting it is through awful, horrendous trailers. It’s the rarest of all movies: an action-thriller-comedy where all three components work!

Listen:



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02.16.18
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BLACK PANTHER and sports movies with special guest Matt Goisman on Episode #188!

Black Panther movie poster

With great visuals, performances, and subtext, Ryan Coogler’s BLACK PANTHER has it all.

It’s a one-movie show this week, but boy what a movie! The guys are joined by Cape Cod Times sportswriter and lifelong comics enthusiast Matt Goisman, who gives his view of what makes a worthwhile sports movie before they all jump into the main event. BLACK PANTHER (13:15), Ryan Coogler’s mighty impressive statement on the long-term effects of colonialism that asks if it is possible for utopia to exist, should it? And oh yeah, it’s a superhero movie to boot. With amazing visuals, rich performances, and thoughtful subtext wrapped in an entertaining package, BLACK PANTHER is one to see whether you’re into Marvel movies or not.

Listen:



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01.19.18
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MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE (Stephen Frears with Daniel Day-Lewis), DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (book vs. adaptation), and FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER (Angelina Jolie) on Episode #184

MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE

MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE

This week’s episode starts with Dave fresh off of MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE (6:30), which he saw as part of Coolidge Corner Theatre’s series dedicated to Daniel Day-Lewis, “I’m Finished!” It’s all over the place with a million plot threads and an impossibly large cast, but boasts a terrific grit and excellent performances. Next up is Kris, who just finished reading Boris Pasternak’s DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and rewatched David Lean’s adaptation starring Omar Sharif (21:17). Kris wishes he were more impressed with the film after reading the novel, but is he breaking his own rule of separating films from source material by lowering his opinion of a movie he enjoyed? Maybe, and he’s the first to admit it. The episode then close things out with a recap of FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER (36:42), Angelina Jolie’s film about life under the Khmer Rouge. The guys are split — Dave and Kris enthusiastically in favor, with Evan on the fence as to whether it’s a success in its own terms.

Listen:



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01.12.18
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PHANTOM THREAD (Paul Thomas Anderson), and Liam Neeson in THE COMMUTER on Episode #183

Ah, this scene, with Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) fitting a dress for Alma (Vicky Krieps), goes in many different directions.

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.

Listen:



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12.29.17
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Our Top 10 Films of 2017 on Episode #181

A scene of children dressed as soldiers holding guns on their backs in Angelina Jolie's film FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER.

A scene in Angelina Jolie’s new film FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER, which is a topic of discussion in this week’s episode.

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.

Listen:



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12.23.17
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MOLLY’S GAME, CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, and THE POST with special guest Charlie Nash on Episode #180

The Post

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, 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, 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, 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 of the stakes, it’s a must-see for history buffs or anyone who cares about valuing truth  and accountability above comfort and stability.

Listen:



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