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:



Download Here
– and don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher! Call us at 862-21PIECE (862-217-4323) or send us an e-mail: spoilerpiece gmail.com.

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

IMG_1862

IMG_1861

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:



Download Here
– and don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher! Call us at 862-21PIECE (862-217-4323) or send us an e-mail: spoilerpiece gmail.com.

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:



Download Here
– and don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher! Call us at 862-21PIECE (862-217-4323) or send us an e-mail: spoilerpiece gmail.com.

FIFTY SHADES FREED and THE 15:17 TO PARIS on Episode #187

Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele and Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey at their wedding in FIFTY SHADES FREED.

Marriage is the least insane thing to happen to Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey in FIFTY SHADES FREED.

This week starts with the guys yakking about the READY PLAYER ONE trailer, since Dave and Evan were forced to watch it twice in one sitting. The rest is about two new pictures coming to theaters. First, Kris reviews FIFTY SHADES FREED (3:41), the final chapter in the franchise, which he says redefines the term “captive audience.” Kris laughs at its batty kidnapping plot and explains how it connects to FIFTY SHADES DARKER, a movie that recently made him subscribe to HBO, just so he didn’t have to buy it on Amazon. Next, Evan and Dave take on Clint Eastwood’s THE 15:17 TO PARIS (29:22), a film so bad it actually makes Evan jealous of Kris. They rail against Eastwood’s decision to use real people instead of actors, its terrible dialogue, and its boring focus on minutiae.

Listen:



Download Here
– and don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher! Call us at 862-21PIECE (862-217-4323) or send us an e-mail: spoilerpiece gmail.com.

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:



Download Here
– and don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher! Call us at 862-21PIECE (862-217-4323) or send us an e-mail: spoilerpiece gmail.com.

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI, I, TONYA and guest Tim Estiloz on Episode #179!

The STAR WARS LAST JEDI logo

Even though we go full tilt spoilers on STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI with guest Tim Estiloz, this image doesn’t give anything away.

This week Kris, Evan, and Dave are joined by their good friend and fellow BOFCA member Tim Estiloz for a spirited discussion of I, TONYA (5:52) with Margot Robbie as figure skater Tonya Harding. Tim, a former professional ice skater and current news/film reporter-type, brings a unique perspective to the discussion and offers some insight on the real Harding’s skill as a skater. Then they guys get into STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI (38:12). Yes, we give everything away (like always), but THE LAST JEDI is so much fun no spoilers could actually spoil it.

Listen:



Download Here
– and don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher! Call us at 862-21PIECE (862-217-4323) or send us an e-mail: spoilerpiece gmail.com.

THE SHAPE OF WATER, THE DARKEST HOUR, and Crewind on Episode #178

Sally Hawkins staring at amphibious creature in THE SHAPE OF WATER.

Sally Hawkins romancing a manfish in THE SHAPE OF WATER.

We kick off this week’s Spoilerpiece with a Crewind — also known as Evan Can Wait and God Save the Crean — in which Evan recaps his experiences with LOGAN (eh), BATTLE OF THE SEXES (good), and LAST FLAG FLYING (wow) (4:02, 9:30, 15:29 respectively). Next up is Dave with THE DARKEST HOUR (20:11), in which Gary Oldman portrays Winston Churchill in the earliest days of Britain’s involvement in World War II. It’s a bit of a recitation of well-established facts, but Oldman doing anything can never be totally boring, making this a mixed bag. Last up is all three guys with Guillermo del Toro’s THE SHAPE OF WATER (32:11). If you like del Toro, you know what to expect. If you don’t, well, you also know what to expect, only moreso.

Listen:



Download Here
– and don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher! Call us at 862-21PIECE (862-217-4323) or send us an e-mail: spoilerpiece gmail.com.

JUSTICE LEAGUE, LAST FLAG FLYING, IN BETWEEN, KEEP THE CHANGE and special guest Sean Burns on Episode #175!

(L-r) JASON MOMOA as Aquaman, GAL GADOT as Wonder Woman, EZRA MILLER as The Flash and RAY FISHER as Cyborg in Warner Bros. Pictures' action adventure

JUSTICE LEAGUE….ASSEMBLED…minus Superman and Batman.

This week our good friend and co-host Kristofer Jenson is sidelined by the plague, so honorary fourth member Sean Burns fills in. He gets things started off (3:40) with a special guest segment, “Burned Out with Sean Burns,” in which he tells Dave and Evan what he thinks of THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI. Evan follows things up with IN BETWEEN and KEEP THE CHANGE (8:50), which are showing at the Boston Jewish Film Festival. Then Sean and Dave weigh in on Richard Linklater’s LAST FLAG FLYING (18:00), the spiritual sequel to THE LAST DETAIL. Finally, it’s superhero time as Evan and Dave discuss JUSTICE LEAGUE (28:55) and Sean more or less correctly guesses the plot even though he hasn’t seen it.

Listen:



Download Here
– and don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher! Call us at 862-21PIECE (862-217-4323) or send us an e-mail: spoilerpiece gmail.com.

Halloween Horror Round-up, THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER, LBJ, and THOR: RAGNAROK on Episode #173

Chris Hemsworth in THOR: Ragnarok

Chris Hemsworth looking like he’s having a lot less fun than he does in the rest of THOR: RAGNAROK.

This week starts with Dave’s recap of the all-night Halloween Marathon at Brookline’s Coolidge Corner Theatre (2:30) featuring some of the best in classic zombie flicks. Next up, Kris recounts his spooky double feature, LET’S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH and MESSIAH OF EVIL (16:09), both of which are great slices in 1970s weirdness. Dave runs us through THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER (28:32) and does not buy into the hype. Dave and Evan team up for LBJ (34:39), the latest take on the president with a complicated legacy. Last up, all three talk about the surprisingly delightful THOR: RAGNAROK (44:37) from Taika Waititi.

Listen:

Download Here – and don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher! Call us at 862-21PIECE (862-217-4323) or send us an e-mail: spoilerpiece gmail.com.

ONLY THE BRAVE, BIG MOUTH, and THEY LOOK LIKE PEOPLE on Episode #171

"Supe" Eric Marsh (Josh Brolin) berates Brendan McDonough (Miles Teller) during training in Prescott National Forest in Columbia Pictures' ONLY THE BRAVE, THE TRUE STORY OF THE GRANITE MOUNTAIN HOTSHOTS.

Josh Brolin berates a seemingly eyebrowless Miles Teller in ONLY THE BRAVE.

This episode begins with epic tales of Dave’s film school smoking habits, which were quite epic. Then it’s on to the main event, where Kris tells of his recent Netflix adventures with BIG MOUTH (5:45), the new animated show featuring Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Jessi Klein, and a host of guest stars. It cuts deep with the preadolescent awkwardness, but it’s worth your time. Next up is THEY LOOK LIKE PEOPLE (11:35), an atmospheric, psychological horror film about two friends: one who is having a slow psychotic break where he can’t trust anything he sees or hears, and the other whose entire existence is a facade erected to protect is insecurity. It’s great, and Kris convinces Dave and Evan to see it right away. Last up is ONLY THE BRAVE (32:37) a true-ish story about the Granite Mountain Hotshots, whose heroism deserves a much more thoughtful, intelligent, and coherent movie than the one they got.

Listen:

Download Here – and don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher! Call us at 862-21PIECE (862-217-4323) or send us an e-mail: spoilerpiece gmail.com.