Tag Archives: Boston Online Film Critics Association

02.03.17
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LION, PATERSON, THE RED TURTLE, and a Jim Jarmusch Story on Episode #134

Adam Driver and Golshifteh Farahani make a really sweet couple in PATERSON.

Adam Driver and Golshifteh Farahani make a really sweet couple in PATERSON.

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While discussing highlights of Billy Joel’s musical career on this week’s episode, Kris and Dave enlighten Evan about Joel’s brief metal period in the band Atilla. Without wasting much time after that, the guys get into the week’s movies. First up is Kris, to talk about THE RED TURTLE (at 2:56), one of the shortest spoilerpieces ever, because the sort-of-Studio Ghibli animated film has no dialogue. Kris kind of likes it, although he doesn’t know why. However he does know that he feels the emotions of it. Next is Evan, to discuss LION (at 9:08), a drama about an Indian man played by Dev Patel, who decides to search for the family he was separated from as a child. The film’s first half is heartbreaking and its last act reaches an emotional conclusion, yet Evan feels like its scenes of Patel searching on Google Earth in the middle really drag the story down. Finally, the guys conclude by gushing about PATERSON (at 23:50), Jim Jarmusch’s pleasant, slice-of-life picture about a poet and bus driver played by Adam Driver. They talk about how the movie is about poetry on micro and macro levels, while revealing why it makes you want to sink your teeth into every moment. With a little time left, Dave caps the segment by sharing a brief hilarious encounter he had with Mr. Jarmusch in New York City.

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01.27.17
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GOLD, 2017 Oscar Nominations, and Dede Crimmins on Episode #133

Matthew McConaughey and Edgar Ramirez in GOLD

Matthew McConaughey and Edgar Ramirez bromancing in GOLD

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Baby Henry is under the weather, prompting Dave to quarantine himself – so guest Dede Crimmins joins Evan and Kris this week to talk about the ‘90s and lots of film-related topics. Dede fills the guys in on her latest adventures, which include recording a DVD commentary, and participating on panels at the Arisia science fiction convention. Following some philosophical discussion about horror, Dede shares three movies to look out for this year (at 13:00): RAW, THE BAD BATCH, and COLOSSAL. After that, she and the guys discuss the 2017 Oscar nominations (at 21:52), revealing surprises and disappointments in the major categories. Finally, all three of them review this week’s new release GOLD (at 33:50), the Matthew McConaughey gold prospecting movie that Kris describes as AMERICAN HUSTLE on NyQuil. Evan and Dede find it charming for McConaughey’s spirited performance as a balding, overweight, drunk, but they admit that they’ll probably forget it in a week.

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01.20.17
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THE FOUNDER and M. Night Shyamalan’s SPLIT on Episode #132

Michael Keaton as Ray Kroc in THE FOUNDER

Michael Keaton as Ray Kroc in THE FOUNDER

This week Kris excitedly announces the Amazon release of BLOOD OF THE TRIBADES, the sexy lesbian vampire homage to Hammer horror that features him in a villainous role. Before the guys dive into the week’s movies, Kris issues a correction to his description of THE BYE BYE MAN at the request of a listener. With corrections and plugs out of the way, Dave steps up to spoilerpiece THE FOUNDER (at 8:41), a chronicle of how Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton) transformed McDonalds from a small fast food chain owned by hardworking brothers (John Carroll Lynch and Nick Offerman) into a multi-billion-dollar company. Dave shares its unique take on Kroc as a character, revealing how Kroc starts out sympathetic, but becomes an incredible shyster as the film progresses. Then all three guys tackle SPLIT (at 27:16), M. Night Shyamalan’s twisty thriller about a group of teenage girls abducted by man with multiple personalities (James McAvoy). The guys marvel at McAvoy’s dynamite performance as well as great turns by Betty Buckley and Anya Taylor-Joy, although they find the movie’s ending lacking and a little icky. The plus side: Dr. Kris has some ideas for how it could be improved.

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01.13.17
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LIVE BY NIGHT, 20TH CENTURY WOMEN, and THE BYE BYE MAN on Episode #131

Zoe Saldana and Ben Affleck in LIVE BY NIGHT

Zoe Saldana and Ben Affleck in the beautiful, but weird LIVE BY NIGHT

Strange things are afoot this week at Spoilerpiece Theatre, and we’ll just leave it at that. Kris leads off by reviewing THE BYE BYE MAN (at 3:48), a horror movie where the villain has no goal other than to mess with people until they die, so his dog can eat them. Just like with THE FOREST, Kris almost spoilerpieces Dave into wanting to see it, although thankfully Dave comes to his senses when he realizes how stupid it is. Evan follows with 20TH CENTURY WOMEN (at 26:48), a Mike Mills movie set in 1970s Santa Barbara with good bones, great camerawork, and charming performances, but annoying stream of consciousness storytelling like Mills’s film BEGINNERS. Then Kris and Dave wrap up with LIVE BY NIGHT (at 41:39), the Ben Affleck gangster picture where people do a lot of living by day. Sienna Miller blends in, Brendan Gleeson goes too soon, and Chris Messina is the only one who belongs in this story with lots of clothed sex and heavy involvement from the KKK. The guys reveal that it looks great despite being weird, even though they agree that you should probably live by not seeing it.

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01.06.17
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HIDDEN FIGURES and Martin Scorsese’s SILENCE on Episode #130

Liam Neeson in Martin Scorsese's SILENCE

Liam Neeson horrified by the violence in Martin Scorsese’s SILENCE

Dave and Kris are back to start 2017 in style! This week the guys examine their favorite karaoke songs through the lens of 90s front men before they get to the movies. First, Dave shares his experience growing up as a Rush fan (at 6:58), and the sadness he felt watching the documentary RUSH: TIME STAND STILL for the second time. His story reminds Kris of DEATHGASM, an awesome movie about metal kids that he strongly encourages Dave and Evan to see. Next, Kris reviews HIDDEN FIGURES (at 16:50), a charming true story about three African American women working for NASA during the Space Race, which transcends genre tropes. Then the guys arrive at their main event: Martin Scorsese’s SILENCE (at 27:46). All three have seen it, so they have a LOT to say about the film’s commentary on religion, colonialism, and Christian arrogance through its 17th century tale of Portuguese priests conducting missionary work in Japan. They each have complaints and find the whole thing too long, yet ultimately respect what Scorsese is shooting for.

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12.30.16
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PATRIOTS DAY and The Worst Movies of 2016 on Episode #129

Kevin Bacon, Mark Walhberg, and John Goodman in PATRIOTS DAY

Mark Wahlberg as the made up know-it-all cop Tommy Saunders in PATRIOTS DAY

It’s been a rough year, but 2016 has finally come to a close, and not a moment too soon given all of the beloved celebrities who have left us! Unfortunately neither Dave nor Kris could make it for this week’s episode, so special guest stars Charlie Nash and Sean Burns join Evan to put the year to bed. They join forces to tear PATRIOTS DAY a new one (at 4:39). All three of them delve into the reasons this Peter Berg/Mark Wahlberg vehicle about the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing is insulting to Bostonians — like Walhberg’s made up character, its exploitative shots of grisly carnage, its selective focus on victims, and its hard-on for authoritarianism. Not surprisingly, there is an overlap between that segment and the next one, where the guys discuss the Worst Movies of 2016 (at 33:54). Several films come up that have been mentioned on the show before, although the most spirited debate occurs between Charlie and Sean over ARRIVAL and CAPTAIN FANTASTIC, which make them feel very emotions.

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12.09.16
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LA LA LAND, WHY HIM?, 13TH, THE DRESSMAKER, and Recaps Like Woah on Episode #126

Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling in LA LA LAND

Kris and Dave have some disagreements about LA LA LAND

You want movies? We’ve got your movies this week! The episode opens with a segment of “Catching up with Crean,” aka “Crewind,” where Evan shares his issues with THE HANDMAIDEN (at 6:18) before he covers the sharp Netflix documentary 13TH (at 9:24), which has a well-formed argument about the exploitation of minorities by US lawmakers and the prison industrial complex. After that Evan tackles THE DRESSMAKER (at 13:32), a zany movie that’s overstuffed with plot, yet funny and engaging, with one hell of an ending. Starting at 24:00, Kris and Dave provide very brief recaps of several films including THE LITTLE PRINCE, RED TURTLE, THE FITS, DE PALMA, ZOOTOPIA, and MORRIS FROM AMERICA. Once they get tired of recapping, they move on to this week’s two main events. Dave shares the excruciating agony that is WHY HIM? (at 32:42), or as he calls it “Why Me?”. Then finally, he and Kris review LA LA LAND (at 42:24), a musical with Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, which they really disagree about.

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12.02.16
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MANCHESTER BY THE SEA, THE HANDMAIDEN, KRISHA, and more on Episode #125

Casey Affleck and Lucas Hedges in MANCHESTER BY THE SEA

Casey Affleck and Lucas Hedges in MANCHESTER BY THE SEA

This week Kris shares the unusual tale of his 10 year high school reunion. The guys carry their silliness from that story over into their intro, where they ask, you the listener, which 60 Minutes anchor you think they are. It’s a good thing they get to the movies, because there are several to cover. Kris starts with a segment of “Keepin’ up with the Jensons,” where he talks about why he liked SWISS ARMY MAN (at 6:00) more than he expected. Then he and Dave join forces for a recap of HELL OR HIGH WATER (at 18:04), where they joke about the title, discuss the score, and dissect its Western elements. They get to new movies with their review of THE HANDMAIDEN (at 28:09), a three hour movie that flies by due to a layered story and perfect performances, set design, and camerawork. Next, Evan quickly reviews KRISHA (at 42:23), a tough film about a woman spending Thanksgiving with her estranged family that’s shot and edited in an unsettling way. Lastly, he and Kris review MANCHESTER BY THE SEA (at 48:32), an effective examination of grief that also reveals how frustrating it is to drive in Massachusetts.

https://radiopublic.com/spoilerpiece-theatre-8Xr54V/ep/s1!96953

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11.18.16
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FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM, NOCTURNAL ANIMALS, and More on Episode #123

fantastic-beasts

FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM (i.e. inside Eddie Redmayne’s suitcase)

We’ve got movies coming out the wazoo this week! First, Dave and Kris tackle the ambitious Harry Potter prequel FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM (at 4:00), which tries to cram five movies into one. Much to their annoyance, only three of those five movies are good. Next, Dave explores NOCTURNAL ANIMALS (at 24:56), writer/director/fashion designer Tom Ford’s sophomore film. It has two stories about toxic masculinity that don’t add up to a whole movie, so during the review Kris develops a new segment called “Dr. Kris, Medicine Man,” where he shares how he’d fix the film. Following that segment, Dave offers his brief thoughts on the music documentaries OASIS: SUPERSONIC and RUSH: TIME STAND STILL, which only seem to be for diehard fans. Evan bats cleanup with three more movies from the Boston Jewish Film Festival (at 51:00): the mediocre crime thriller A GRAIN OF TRUTH, the emotionally compelling documentary FREEDOM TO MARRY, and the thought-provoking comedy doc THE LAST LAUGH.

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11.11.16
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ARRIVAL, LOVING, MOONLIGHT, and THE ORIGIN OF VIOLENCE on Episode #122

Alex R. Hibbert and Mahershala Ali in MOONLIGHT.

Alex R. Hibbert and Mahershala Ali in MOONLIGHT.

On this week’s episode, Dave gripes about his record club’s inability to send him records he wants, before discussing his burgeoning November beard and his latest Baby Henry story. After the guys get some good laughs in to compensate for their election sadness, Kris gets things going with ARRIVAL (at 6:10), a sci-fi film starring Amy Adams as a linguist that speaks heptapod. Adams plays the same character she always does, but it does some very interesting things Kris doesn’t expect and really turns out to be the kind of high concept sci-fi he enjoys. Next, Evan and Dave keep the good movie momentum with their description of LOVING (at 21:26), an emotional drama based on a true story with amazing performances by Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton. Kris follows with his take on MOONLIGHT (at 33:32) a three-party story of a gay man’s life that’s not revolutionary, but so well-assembled that it kind of is. Evan closes out the show with THE ORIGIN OF VIOLENCE (at 48:36), a French film playing at the Boston Jewish Film Festival that turned out to be more about the Holocaust than he expected, although not in a bad way, since the film uses it to tell a compelling story.

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