Megan and Dave start the show this week by reviewing Jennifer Reeder’s stylized feminist horror film PERPETRATOR (2:50), which follows a teen (Kia McKirnan), with unusual powers pursuing a villain abducting girls at her school. Alicia Silverstone co-stars. Next, we all cover Ellie Foumbi’s thorny thriller OUR FATHER, THE DEVIL (21:18), where a Guinean refugee (Babetida Sadjo) in France has her life turned upside down by the arrival of a charismatic Catholic priest (Souleyman Sy Savane), whom she recognizes as the warlord who slaughtered her family. And, in this week’s Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about the 1986 animated cult classic TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE!
Category Archives: Horror
BRIGHTWOOD and BAD THINGS on Episode #475
This week we start by reviewing Dane Elcar’s compelling sci-fi horror film BRIGHTWOOD (2:23), which follows a troubled couple (Dana Berger and Max Woertendyke) who become trapped in the woods while they’re out for a run. Next, we cover Stewart Thorndike’s frustrating horror movie BAD THINGS (24:19), which follows a group of friends (Gayle Rankin, Hari Nef, Annabelle Dexter-Jones, and Rad Pereira) who spend a chaotic weekend at the hotel one of them has inherited. And in this week’s Patreon exclusive audio, in honor of the late William Friedkin, we talk about his 1977 thriller SORCERER starring Roy Scheider, Bruno Cremer, and Francisco Rabal.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – DEAD RECKONING PART ONE and FINAL CUT on Episode #470
This week we start off by reviewing Christopher McQuarrie’s Tom Cruise action vehicle MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – DEAD RECKONING PART ONE (2:45). As with all MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE movies, this one brings amazing action and death-defying stunts, but is the story worthy of being told in two parts and is there an actual dead reckoning? You’ll just have to listen and find out. Next, we cover the Michel Hazanavicius horror comedy FINAL CUT (28:08), a French remake of the Japanese film ONE CUT OF THE DEAD. None of us at seen the original, but two of us are fans of this version, and one of us very much isn’t. And in this week’s Patreon exclusive audio, we review Gus Van Sant’s 1991 queer drama MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO starring River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves!
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THE STARLING GIRL and CONSECRATION on Episode #462″
Evan is off this week, so Dave and Megan review CONSECRATION (3:18), Cristopher Smith’s disappointing supernatural horror film, starring Jena Malone who investigates her brother’s death at a convent. Then we discuss Laurel Parmet’s excellent nuanced drama THE STARLING GIRL (24:42), starring Eliza Scanlen as a 17-year-old in a fundamentalist Christian community dealing with her faith when she falls for the youth pastor (Lewis Pullman). And on this week’s Patreon exclusive audio, since FAST X opens in theaters, we talk about Justin Lin’s FAST FIVE (2011), starring Vin Diesel and Paul Walker!
EVIL DEAD RISE and BEAU IS AFRAID on Episode #458
Dave is on vacation this week, so Evan and Megan review this week’s movies as a duo! We start off with Ari Aster’s latest film BEAU IS AFRAID (2:56), which follows an anxiety-ridden man (Joaquin Phoenix) confronting an escalating series of terrifying situations as he embarks on a Kaufmanesque odyssey home to his mother. We have a LOT to say about this problematic, three-hour, envelope-pushing movie and almost none of it is positive. Next, we cover Lee Cronin’s EVIL DEAD RISE (33:45), the newest entry in the EVIL DEAD franchise, which pits two estranged sisters against the famous flesh-possessing Deaddites. We have a LOT to say about this movie too, but almost all of it is positive! And in this week’s Patreon exclusive audio, in honor of the latest EVIL DEAD movie, we discuss Sam Raimi’s 1992 entry in the franchise, ARMY OF DARKNESS, starring Bruce Campbell!
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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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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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LIFE UPSIDE DOWN, BLOOD, and 2023 Oscar Nominations on Episode #446
We kick off the show by discussing our reactions to the 2023 Oscar nominations (2:25), which dropped earlier in the week. Next, we review Brad Anderson’s frustrating horror/thriller BLOOD (15:46), which stars Michelle Monaghan as a desperate mother trying to protect her son after he gets bitten by a dog and undergoes an unsettling transformation. Then we review Cecilia Miniucchi’s disappointing COVID lockdown relationship comedy LIFE UPSIDE DOWN (34:55), a movie where Bob Odenkirk gives an uncharacteristically lousy performance. And in this week’s Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about the winner of our legacy sequels poll, TOP GUN: MAVERICK!
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